


Loyalty

by InxomniacWriter



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Age Difference, Alternative Universe - Modern Setting, College Student Eren, Eren Is a Little Shit, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Levi Is Bad At Feelings, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Updates For Now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-09 07:03:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 53,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10406580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InxomniacWriter/pseuds/InxomniacWriter
Summary: For as long as Eren could remember, Levi had always been by his side. From the persistent nagging at his untidiness and reckless behaviour, to the affectionate hushed words when he stumbled home drunk or the rare tiny smiles, Levi had always been there.Since the passing of his mother, Eren found his father replacing him with work and being left to fend for himself. Until the son of his preceding caretaker came along — Levi.Levi who poured his heart and soul into his job just to make sure that the boy would feel as minimal pain as possible, and continued on to look out for him even as he parted from adolescence. While a part of Eren will always be the child Levi met a decade ago, Levi was becoming so much more to Eren than just his caretaker.Eren had grown attached to Levi without being conscious of it.With his heart worn upon his sleeve and his emotions carved into his very being, the too loud and too passionate and too clumsy young man was determined to win over the heart and loyalty of Levi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter one, I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading.

The alarm was going off.

Eren could hear it very clearly; the sound was sharp and shrill despite the thick barrier of blankets piled on top of him, but he was adamant to turn a deaf ear to it for as long as he could. He buried himself deeper into said covers and nuzzled his face against the silky surface, the fabric soft and warm against his bare skin in contrast to the harsh environment of the hell known as morning. A frustrated groan teared through his throat when his phone refused to relent even after what felt like hours of waiting for it to shut up. He once again realized in regret that he should have never even set an alarm in the first place if he was just going to end up ignoring it. It wasn’t like he was actually going to get up when his alarm went off; he was determined to sleep in as much as he could, after all. All he would do was to reach his arm out from under the covers — not even bothering to actually poke his head out — and feel for his phone on his nightstand until he managed to turn off the alarm, which was what he was doing at the moment. Letting out a soft, contented sigh, he snuggled back into the comfort of his nest with full intent of sleeping in till noon.

However, his peace and quiet was far too soon disrupted when his door slammed open, the handle of it banging against the wall. His sprawled form stiffened and immediately tried to further conceal himself, rolling onto his side to face away from the direction of the door and tucking his knees up against his chest with his arms wrapped around his legs. But, to no avail.

“Brat, you better wake the fuck up.”

Before Eren could comprehend what was happening, his many layers of comfort was yanked off him, leaving his naked glory — save for his boxers — exposed to the autumn chill, a violent shiver immediately racking through his body and eliciting an indignant whine from his mouth. He shoved his head underneath his pillow, but that was cruelly removed from his arms as well. Unwillingly, he was rolled onto his back, his limbs splayed out across the expanse of the mattress. He finally, albeit reluctantly, peeled open his eyes as he was sitting up against his headboard, and almost jumped out of his own skin at the sudden proximity of another face to his. Narrowed silver orbs stared back at him, thin eyebrows pinched together in a frown.

“Why the fuck aren’t you awake yet?” Levi said, and it was a statement rather than an actual question.

“Ugh, let me sleep in for a bit more,” Eren grumbled in response, prepared to flop back onto his bed to do just what he had said, but Levi obviously disapproved. The moment his sentence finished, his pillow was sent straight into his face. One would think that such a soft object would not hurt at all, but then again, this was _Levi_ , and any sort of violence from Levi _hurt_.

“Ow!”

“Get up and get ready, or you’ll be late,” Levi commanded then muttered, “you’d think a twenty-year-old university student is capable to get up on his own.”

“I  _ am  _ capable!” Eren exclaimed as he was standing up and stretching his arms above his head. “I just enjoy my beauty sleep. More so than going to school, at least.”

Levi shifted his unamusement towards Eren, letting his eyes rest on the youth’s muscular frame for a moment before turning back to his task of making the bed. “Beauty sleep my ass. And stop sleeping naked, I’m not taking care of your ass when you get sick.”

Eren let a smirk curve his lips slightly, taking note of the way that Levi had let his gaze linger on his body, and Eren would be lying if he said he didn’t find his caretaker attractive as well. Customarily, the raven’s hair was styled in an undercut framing his pale complexion, his short but lean, muscular figure was donned in a black vest over a white shirt with a black bow tie around his neck, black dress pants covering his no doubt well-developed legs that reached his shiny black shoes.

“Half-naked,” Eren corrected, making a prudent decision to not add anymore cocky comments in case of more violence from the petite man. “And you like it.”

“Dream on,” Levi huffed. “Now go get your ass ready, or you’ll really be late.”

Grumbling under his breath about how Levi was being too responsible, Eren grudgingly trudged into the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom, he went through his usual morning routine with an added quick shower. With his hair still wet, he walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist and another smaller one drying said wet hair to find Levi’s absence in his room and his bed cleaned up immaculately, not a single wrinkle in the black sheets. Knowing that Levi would probably chide him for only throwing on a bathrobe or waltz in with his boxers only for breakfast, he picked out a simple black short-sleeved T-shirt and pair of old denims before tugging his leather jacket off a hanger. He slung his messenger bag that was sitting on his desk chair over one shoulder and pulled on some sneakers before making his way down the stairs to the dining room.

By the time he had his bottom plopped down onto the cushioned seat and set his bag and jacket down by the chair next to his, Levi was already setting a steaming pile of pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup in front of him. The man glowered at the way Eren more or less drowned his fluffy cakes in sugary goo after smearing tons of butter on them, the fatty substance melting from the heat straight away. He then proceeded to essentially shove half of the first pancake past his lips, a soft groan rumbling in his throat.

“I swear, I’m going to gain sixty pounds within this week if you keep cooking like this.”

Levi let out a sharp sniff. “Would you rather me serve you oatmeal?”

Horror dropped onto Eren’s face. “Fuck, please don’t. These are delicious and I’d like to keep it that way.”

The older of the two threw a small smirk as he headed back towards the kitchen. “Then don’t complain,” he reprimanded with no real venom behind his words. “And don’t be late, brat.”

Checking the time on his phone, Eren quickly shovelled the rest of his meal down his throat and chugged a glass of water in one fell swoop before rushing out the door with his bag in hand while hurriedly sliding on his jacket. “Bye, Levi!”

Rather than being able to enjoy a leisure stroll in the morning, Eren had to take quick, long strides on the path to his university as he was — like always — late. He dodged past people and muttered out “sorry’s” along the way, wincing when he would accidentally bump his shoulder into someone a little too hard.

Finally arriving at his destination, he rushed to his least favourite class of the entire program he was taking — business law. He spotted his friend slash rival sitting in the back corner of the small lecture hall as usual. With dread at the boredom that was about to come curling and nestling itself at the pits of his stomach, he slumped down onto his usual seat next to Jean, jacket taken off and his mouth forming a scowl that could rival Levi’s (actually, knowing the man, it probably wasn’t even close).

“Hey, shitstain,” Jean greeted him smugly.

“Horseface,” Eren responded in an equally smug tone, earning him a dirty look. But before either could continue small quarrel, the professor had walked in and everyone had turned their attentions on him.

Suffice to say, the two hour-long lecture felt like forever. The professor had — like always — blabbed on about something Eren could not care less about (he probably should) in a monotonous voice that could compete Levi’s. By the time it had finished, Eren felt like his muscles would forever be stuck in the same position and his ass was molded into the seat. He slowly stood on stiff legs and raised his arms over his head in a stretch, grumbling as he did so.

“Have you finished your essay yet?” Jean asked as they were walking out of the room, and Eren let out a loud snort.

“Are you kidding? ‘Course not.”

“Wanna work on it together?” Jean suggested with a wide grin.

“You mean let you leech off my work?” Eren nudged Jean with an elbow and was responded with a lour.

“You mean the other way around?” Jean retorted sourly.

Eren let out a soft bark of laughter at that. “Oh please, everyone knows you’re shit, horseface.”

“Would you stop calling me that?” Jean snapped in reply. “And I’ll let you know that I’m pretty good.”

The pair continued the puckish jabbing back and forth at each other with the silent agreement of working on said paper together at Eren’s penthouse. It was always how they had done things: they acted like enemies more than friends, but held an unsaid mutual connection with each other.

When Eren pushed open the door to let him and Jean in, he was expecting to call out to Levi to loudly announce his presence, only to find the petite man backed against the the dining table and caged by the arms of none other than the infamous Erwin Smith.

Eren couldn’t stop the heated words tumbling past his lips even if he had wanted to or tried to.

“What the fuck?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I know I said one week but I got excited to give a slightly earlier update. Thank you so much to everyone for reading, commenting and/or giving kudos etc. These are all very appreciated :) Also, don't hesitate if you want to ask me anything. I hope you all enjoy chapter two — it was supposed to be longer, but I ended up deciding to split it into two chapters and keep this short and sweet rather than prolonging it into something tedious. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy, and hopefully I'll be back with a new update in a week!

Eren couldn’t tell what the intense heat coiling in the pit of his being was. The concentrated fever spread across his skin and singed through his veins, seeming to freeze his blood with a burning force. It was claret and scarlet and crimson, pure red flitting across his vision. It was an unfamiliar sensation to him that he did not know what to make of, that he could not identify. All he knew was that there was a harsh tug at his gut and a jarring compression of his lungs and a rough squeeze of his heart when he saw the way the pair were staring at each other before he had made his appearance known.

Levi had immediately shoved Erwin away despite the massive size difference between the two, but the damage was already done; the image had already branded itself into Eren’s mind and scattered ashes of disapproval.

The small of Levi’s back had been pushed against the edge of the dining table, fingers of one hand curling around the glass and the other palm had been resting against the bigger blond’s broad chest. The proximity of Erwin’s chiseled face had been too close to the raven’s to Eren’s liking, his much taller form towering over Levi’s, and the way the blond had had his arms trapping the petite male between them and placed by the sides of said male’s narrow waist caused detestation flare up within Eren and reflected on his expression, and he did not try to hide it. Or more like, he couldn’t even if he _had_ tried to.

Although the Levi and Erwin had now broken apart from one another, the tension in the atmosphere only seemed to increase tenfold. Levi was avoiding the latter’s intense blue eyes boring into him and instead chose to look at Eren, who had dropped his bag onto the ground and was still standing by the door with Jean awkwardly shuffling his feet a little ways behind him.

“Eren, welcome home,” Levi greeted in that velvet monotonous voice of his and risked giving Erwin a brisk sidelong glance. No “brat”, no cusses, no usual chiding for leaving his boxers behind on the bathroom counter after his morning shower, the bathroom that he knew Levi had cleaned the moment he left. Simply a greeting. Simply a “welcome home”. Simply an employee.

“ _Mr. Smith_ ,” Eren seethed through his teeth and brought his arms up to cross them tightly over his chest, hands still curled into fists, fingernails biting into his skin. “What brings _you_ here?”

He couldn’t comprehend what had set him off, just that he felt _off_. Erwin was simply a business partner of Yeager Inc.; a valuable one at that, who dealt with any and all aspects of the corporate law for the company. The man owned a firm for handling specifically corporate law for other establishments, after all. Though Eren had started helping out the company from time to time, he had rarely needed to personally interact with Erwin, especially since Eren barely saw his own father now. Sure, Eren and his father had stiff and reserved dinner from time to time, or at least, _used_ to, but Eren could not even remember the last meal they had sat down together for, let alone the last time he had needed to interact with Erwin.

Not that this bothered the man in question, of course.

“Ah, Eren, it’s good to see you again,” Erwin greeted nonchalantly, momentarily ignoring Eren’s question and the teal glare that was pinned on him. He straightened up and smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on his meticulous green tie before responding, “I am here to see your father; Grisha and I have some business matters that I would like to go through.”

“He’s not here,” Eren bit out with sharp spite tinting his words, “he’s never here. You should be able to find him at his office though; spends his days and nights there.”

Erwin made a soft contemplative hum that made Eren feel more aggravated than he already was. In that moment, everything about the man seemed to exacerbate these emotions running around within Eren like chickens with their heads cut off. From the perfectly slicked back blond hair to his sharp chiseled features to the expensive suit the man was donned in. Yet, he still did not know why.

“Ah, I see,” was all Erwin uttered. He then picked up a sleek briefcase from one of the chairs at the dining table before sauntering towards the door with a blank, serious face. “I apologize for the abrupt visit then.”

Jean took a step to the side when Erwin approached the door, but before he walked through it, he threw an eloquent yet reticent glance over his shoulder, at Levi, something that made Eren fume over, and would probably be for a while. Yet, _he still did not know why_.

“It was good seeing you, Levi. I will see you soon.”

After that, he shut the door behind him.

A scowl had settled onto Eren’s countenance, vex still gnawing at his gut and ruffling the feathers of the agitated red bird in his ribcage. “What the hell was that about?” he snapped. He didn’t mean to take his anger out on Levi, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but to direct the bubbling fervour towards _someone_ , especially towards someone part of the unpleasant image that was scorching his mind. He knew it wasn’t Levi’s fault — or at least, he hoped so. But he still couldn’t help it.

Levi turned his head away and was silent for a moment before his small feet began carrying his petite frame towards the kitchen. “Nothing that you need to know about, brat,” he answered calmly, but in a firm voice. “Now go do whatever you were going to do with your _friend_ over there.”

There was an unreadable expression on Levi’s face that was softly molded around the edges with subtle bitterness as he walked away, but any consideration towards that fled Eren as heat flared up within the confines of his chest. He immediately went to follow Levi, only to have a hand wrap around his wrist to yank him back, hard. He fixated his glare onto the culprit, intense brown eyes of Jean’s boring into his blue-green ones. “C’mon, Eren, we still got the essay to work on.”

“I know, horseface,” he hissed out. Usually, Jean would snap back at him with equal spite. However, this time, he simply rolled his eyes at the predictable insult. Begrudgingly, Eren settled to listen to Jean for once, leaving the topic at hand for later on that night and stomped towards his room broodingly with Jean quick at his heels.

Eren ended up with his stomach pressed against the soft covers of his bed, an elbow propped up and cheek rested against the palm to stare at his illuminant laptop screen at the foot of his bed, a finger on his other hand beginning to trace the gaps in the keyboard and legs splayed out behind him near his pillow. Jean was sat cross-legged at the top of the bed with his opened laptop resting in the space his legs created, back abutting headboard and fingers tapping against a thigh in frustration. A frown drew his eyebrows together and a scowl decorated his lips, before he let out a loud sigh.

“What’s up with you and the shorty anyways?” he decided to break the icy tension in the space.

The question drew all the oxygen out from Eren’s lungs, but he did not make that known. “What do you mean?” Eren asked absent-mindedly instead, his digits not supporting his head starting a cadenced drumming against the keyboard’s surface.

“What was _that_ all about? What’d you get all pissed for anyways? And now you’re acting like some shit crawled up your ass and died.”

Eren’s gaze was still fixated on his bright laptop screen when Jean chanced a glimpse at him, but Jean could see the way his shoulders had tensed up at the question, could hear his fingers stop their soft song of restlessness. Eren didn’t want to do this. Not now, not ever.

“Nothing,” he muttered, his fingers picking up the indistinct pattern again, and he heard Jean sigh.

“You know, we’re not going to actually get any work done with you sulking like a little bitch.”

“Just shut up, horseface.”

“Things would go a lot better if you’d just talk to me, instead of _sulking like a little bitch_.”

“Shut it, Jean. Just shut it.”

“We really need to work on this essay, so _stop sulking like a_ —”

“I don’t fucking know okay?!”

Bits of his blanket were bunched up under Eren’s curled fingers, his grip tight enough to force his tanned knuckles into waxen skin. He had swivelled his head around to face Jean, teal eyes vehement and prominent golden flecks surfacing, divulging their usually discreet presence. Fraught silence was released into the air like poison gas, protruding and invasive, almost tangible, only pierced through by a knife when Eren turned his head away with a sullen expression, suddenly finding his covers very interesting upon close inspection.

“We can’t get any work done like this,” he mumbled dejectedly and crossed his arms at the edge of his laptop, dropping his head down onto them. “When is the essay due?”

Jean heaved out an audible sigh and focused his attention to the door of Eren’s bedroom. “Next week.”

“Can we work on it together another day? I’m really not up for it today — and I really don’t know why, so stop pestering me about it,” he added sotto voce, but there was no bite to his words.

Jean shrugged and got up as he closed his laptop, twisting his back slightly to feel the bones popping before he began packing his belongings away into his bag. The two twenty-year-olds were silent even as they trod down the sleek staircase, Jean all packed up and ready to head home for a relaxed evening — notwithstanding Eren’s troubling behaviour. When they reached the front door, Jean contemplated at the door frame for a moment before turning to face Eren, arm stretching up to the nape of his neck to lightly rub at it for the lack of anything better to do, eyes avoiding the other’s intense Caribbean ones.

“Look, I don’t know what’s bothering you, or if _you_ even know what’s bothering you, but stop acting like something’s crawled up your ass and died, yeah? I’ll be here if you need someone to talk to. You know that, so cheer the fuck up and stop sulking.”

The mini speech earned Jean an incredulous look from Eren before a snarky smirk broke out on his face, the side of his soft pink lips curving up. “Yeah, yeah, horseface. Thanks.”

Jean managed to ponder for a mere split second before he tugged Eren against his chest by the forearms, wrapping his arms around the other’s torso in a rare show of physical affection, one that Eren hadn’t felt since probably high school, one that made his eyes widen. He just had to ruin it with a snort and a wry comment. This was Jean, after all.

“Wow, what is this?” he muttered dryly but brought his own arms up around the marginally taller male’s middle. “I think the last time we had a moment like this was back in our high school days, and I mean, those were really the only appropriate times since...y’know.” The sentence was trailed off with a shrug. An emotion unfamiliar on Jean’s face darted across his features before he obscured it with a scowl, making Eren slightly tilt his head to the side in tacit question, question that was not responded to.

“Shut the fuck up and just enjoy it you bastard.”

Eren beamed before pulling away.

“Now shoo, horseface, I don’t need to be staring in the face of an animal for the entire day.”

Jean’s scowl deepened and he let his gaze protract on Eren’s face for just a moment longer than necessary then turned to walk away, calling over his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, blockhead.”

Eren was shutting the door when he finally noticed the presence behind him. His muscled shoulders tensed up and his form froze before he turned just in time to see Levi’s head whipping away to the side, steel orbs avoiding eye contact. He thought he was imagining it, definitely imagining it, but he thought Levi’s face was morphed with pain and longing, because that was the same face Eren used to make back in his high school days whenever he saw one of his many now insignificant crushes with someone that wasn’t him, or still made to this day whenever he saw mothers with their sons and daughters.

“Was wondering what you’re going to do about dinner,” Levi stated before Eren could comment on his behaviour. Eren merely offered an odd look and thought, _How long had he been there for?_

For a reason that he could not put a finger on, Eren felt like a deer caught in the headlights, and he felt _guilt_ sleeping into his veins and tingeing his blood. He felt like he had done something that he shouldn’t have, but he didn’t know what, or why he felt this way.

Eren decided to not dwell on it too much nor Levi’s behaviour but rather deal with more pressing matters first (or at least, they were to him): Mr. Smith. “Go out to eat with me,” he said before moving back upstairs to grab his things. There was no question in that, no negotiation; just a soft assertive command.

Levi only gave a mere nod in response.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I apologize for updating one day late, but here's a slightly longer chapter to make up for it :) To be honest, this chapter wasn't meant to be long at all but it just kind of happened. I hope I didn't drag things out too much though; I like to be as descriptive as possible so readers can have the full idea of the scenario(s). I hope you enjoy chapter three. Thank you for reading, and as always, comments, kudos and subscriptions etc. are always appreciated. I will see you all in a week!

By the time Eren had made his way back down to the front entrance with his essentials of phone, wallet, keys and leather jacket that he had worn to school, Levi was already there leaning against the door. Out of his “work attire” (which Eren had persistently stated over and over that it was not needed), Levi was dressed in a black jacket with a high, opened collar over a light grey wide-necked sweater that would have exposed his clavicles if not for the red plaid scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, black jeans that hugged his lean, muscular thighs nicely and tucked into his black ankle boots. The smaller man looked up as Eren approached, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

“Let’s go,” Eren smiled, but for whatever reason, it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The two walked in silence, but it wasn’t necessarily an uncomfortable one; neither simply had anything to particularly speak of. Gentle autumn breezes weaved in between them and Eren stepped closer to Levi despite the propinquity. For reasons unknown to him, the brat managed to be a human furnace at all times, and from the proximity in that moment, Levi could feel the warmth radiating off Eren’s body and seeping into his bones even with the gradually decreasing temperature of the fall night. The raven sneaked a brief glance at the brunet, who had his eyes aimed forward, towards a destination that the raven was not sure of.

That was made clear when they entered a small izakaya along one of the more secluded streets of the city, lined with hole in the wall restaurants and cafés and more, even a compact record store that was scattered with antiquated classics. Eren pushed open the wooden sliding door, the dust gathered at the edges on the tiny supposedly transparent squares on the top half of the door making Levi grimace in disgust. This wasn’t exactly a place that Levi would spend time in during his free time; from the outside, it looked dingy and grimy, definitely not Levi’s ideal type of place to relax at. Besides, izakayas were tiny but crowded with constant buzzing of chatter and heavily intoxicated bodies, far from the serenity of coffee houses that Levi much preferred. Yet, Eren seemed to be happy with his choice: he had a subliminal smile on his face as he stepped inside, tilting his head to the side slightly to speak to Levi, “Jean and I come here quite a bit, especially when we work late at the university sometimes. Food’s good, booze is good too.”

Levi dropped his gaze to his feet at the familiar name of Eren’s friend since high school, brows faintly pinched in a frown and pressing his lips together in a purse. Since his childhood friends had both moved away to pursue their life aspirations in adulthood, and most of his high school friends were either studying elsewhere or were already constantly busy working at their parents’ establishments, one of Eren’s only friends left in the city that he remained in close contact with was Jean, and they had even ended up attending the same university and majoring in the same degree. It wasn’t that Levi hated the kid or anything; the brat was — in most cases, at least — a simple airhead whose brain was probably not intact with the rest of his body. But his presence was perturbative to Levi, for reasons he wasn’t sure he exactly knew either.

Levi lifted his eyes to briefly survey the restaurant as he stepped in, blue-grey orbs glinting in almost astonishment as warm air blasted him in the face; the interior of the izakaya was polar opposites with the exterior of it. Although still playing up to Levi’s expectations of being small and filled with chit-chat and drunks, it was much cleaner than was presumed. In spite of the fact that the lights were incredibly dimmed, he could still judge how clean the place was: there was no grime or dirt buried against every nook and cranny, and the floors were not covered in mucky, wet footprints. Rather than the unpleasant stench that Levi had thought would have been likely, the delicious aroma of food was pungent in the air, making him involuntarily salivate heavily, enough to make him swallow hard. Eren waved two fingers at one of the waiters with the ease and confidence of someone who had done so many times in the past. Eren slipped off his jacket and Levi copied him, unwrapping the scarf as well before their garments were handed off to a waiter who headed over to a closet by the entrance to hang them up. The pair moved to a booth in the corner and Levi refrained from curling his lip at the fine dust on occasional spots of the table as he slid onto the bench. Overall, the place was decently clean, but, this was Levi, and Levi was picky, and a single fibre of dirt could frustrate him to the point of wanting to wipe everything down.

A waitress with russet hair tied back into a ponytail and donned entirely in black, an apron secured around her waist, brought over two large mugs of beer — to which Levi wrinkled his nose and let out a soft sniff at — with the handles skillfully gripped together in one hand, foam at the tops threatening to spill over the edges. A grin was plastered on her face and sparkled in her light brown eyes when she set down the beverages, a grin that reflected on Eren’s tanned features as well. Despite the weak lighting in the restaurant, Eren’s expression seemed to be able to illuminate the entire space, brighter than any light. This was Eren, after all; charismatic, charming, and a friend anyone would wish for.

“Sasha! How’re you doing?” Eren exclaimed.

Levi perfunctorily deduced that this was Sasha’s parents’ restaurant (or at least one of them; he recalled Eren gushing to him about them having multiple ones and how good they all were) as he vaguely recognized her as one of Eren’s high school friends who had stayed in the city to help out with her parents’ business.

“Eren, you’re here! And you brought Levi too! I haven’t seen you here with Jean in a while, it’s good to see you!”

_Jean._

Levi sank his teeth into his bottom lip at the instinctive echo in his thoughts, zoning out from Eren and Sasha’s conversation. The horse-like kid seemed to be increasingly spending more time with his brat. Levi probably didn’t even know half the things they did outside of the house — not that Levi cared, of course; not that it was any of his business, of course; not that it mattered to him at all, of course — but it appeared that the equine-like kid had been having more recurrent visits as of late. Whether it was to work on assignments from university or simply to laze around and play video games, he was just _there a lot_. Not that it really mattered to Levi, of course, but it made the onyx-haired man wonder whether Eren frequented Jean’s house just as often. Since entering university, Eren had stopped spending as much time cooped up in his own room, especially wasting hours on video games (although he still does at times).

But again, that was none of Levi’s business, was it? Of course it wasn’t. Eren had his own social life, and Levi did too — granted, it was _limited_ , yet it was nonetheless still a social life (to an extent). Levi was Eren’s caretaker, had been for eight years, and recently became his assistant in work. Even if they have a close relationship, Levi shouldn’t meddle in affairs that didn’t welcome him. Sure, he should probably keep a close eye on the brat as his caretaker and work assistant, but nothing more.

Probably.

Before Levi could mull over anything else, a hand was waving in front of his face, knocking him out of his thoughts and almost startling him, but he quickly steeled himself with his habitual apathetic features. Eren was blinking large teal eyes at him, head awfully adorably tilted to the side to the point of being bizarre, and reminding Levi of when Eren was still a child and would still be staring up at him rather than down. That brief notion made Levi internally scowl a little, if he wasn’t already externally wearing an eternal scowl.

“What?” he managed to grouse.

Eren’s eyes slightly dimmed, making Levi wonder for a moment, but they were brightened almost immediately when he let out a small laugh. “You were zoning out, I asked what you want to order.”

Levi contemplated that for a moment before offering a small shrug, crossing his arms over his chest and legs over one another in an indifferent manner. “You can order whatever, brat, you’re the one who comes here.”

Eren didn’t even actually order himself; had only given Sasha a curt “the usuals” before the girl was scurrying away.

Levi couldn’t tell whether the silence that follows was tense, uncomfortable, awkward, or simply just silence. He pursed his lips and lightly tapped his foot that was resting atop the other against the table leg, impatience filling him to the brim. The shitty brat had told — no, _commanded_ Levi to go to dinner with him. It wasn’t like Levi couldn’t have refused; he was an asshole and he knew it. But at the same time, it wasn’t like he _could_ have refused. Eren was his employer (well, technically, Grisha was, but the never-sober-workaholic was never home), and whatever Eren said, went. But why the fuck was the kid not even trying to make conversation? Levi could be spending this time back at home cleaning or trying out that new detergent brand that he had purchased the previous day.

But then again, maybe being able to spend the night staring at Eren’s pretty face wouldn’t be so bad; Levi would be lying if he said Eren wasn’t attractive. If he wasn’t, there wouldn’t have been countless people attracted to him. Even off the top of his head, Levi could spit out quite a couple names from Eren’s high school days, perhaps from now even.

In the haze of his thoughts, Levi had dropped his gaze to his lap, only bringing them up to the table when he heard plates being softly clinked down onto the table. Did the food really arrive that quickly, or had he been ruminating useless thoughts for way too long? For some reason, that thought embarrassed him.

Sasha set down an abundance of skewered meats on a large plate then smaller plates of other bits and bobs, including seaweed and an assortment of pickled vegetables. The smell was heavenly, immediately rousing Levi’s hunger, especially since he had barely eaten either breakfast or lunch; dinner was usually when he would eat the most.

And apparently enough to make a small moan slip past Eren’s lips.

Levi’s eyes snapped up and let his stare linger on said lips for a moment before focusing on Eren’s face as a whole. The brat was staring at the food pensively, Caribbean eyes immensely focused, pink tongue lightly poked out between his lips. Levi let out a soft _tch_ at his silly brat and picked up his chopsticks.

“Enjoy your food!” Sasha grinned before walking away.

“Oh I will,” Eren called after her and picked up his own chopsticks, sparing Levi a glance before the food sucked his attention again and drew a grin across his lips. “Dig in, Levi. This is all really good.”

Levi picked up a piece of grilled chicken and clamped his mouth around it, steel eyes widening in minuteness at the flavour that bursted in his mouth. “This is good,” he muttered as he munched on the food and Eren flashed him an even wider grin if possible, cheeks stuffed with food.

“See, see? I told you!”

The silence between them dissipated and the pair made casual small talk just like they would in any other meal they had. Eren spoke a bit about his day at the university and Levi tentatively listened in, although it always seemed like Eren’s school days were the same: rough and boring.

Before long, the food from the table was gone and both of them were nursing some beer over idle conversation. Or well, _Eren_ was the one nursing his beer. Actually, it was more like chugging large quantities at random intervals. Over the course of the entire meal, Levi, knowing that he was a lightweight and that it was technically his “work day” as it was a Thursday night, had left his drink untouched, while Eren had knocked back pint after pint despite knowing that he had classes the next day.

With a small sigh at the awareness of his still brimful beverage and the understanding that he _probably_ shouldn’t force Eren to drink more than he already had (Levi had lost count around the third one), Levi picked up his mug of beer, wrinkling his nose slightly at the malty scent before tipping the drink back and letting the sharp, bitter flavour of ale slosh down his throat. By now, the liquor had warmed up slightly, making it even more disgusting than it was. He set it back down onto the table, trying not to glare at the yellow liquid to its demise when Eren laughed.

“You don't like beer, d’you?” Eren’s words were slurred as he mused, the brat’s sun-kissed cheeks flushed red, and it was definitely more than just from the warmth of the restaurant’s heater.

“I can’t even remember the last time I had one,” Levi snorted in retort. “Still tastes like the piss I remember it to be.”

“That’s because you don’t go out enough.”

One of Levi’s thin eyebrows raised. “I would be if a certain shitty brat wasn’t eating up all my time because he can’t even take his dirty-ass boxers out of the bathroom after he takes a shower.”

Now it was Eren’s turn to scowl, petulant as always even when intoxicated. “I just forget, yeah?”

“You have a fucking brain for a reason, brat.”

Eren gave a glare and knocked back almost all of the remaining half of his own pint, foam gathering at the edges of his upper lip that Levi wanted to wipe off for him. “I’m guessing you do too.”

That was odd.

“What is that supposed to mean, shitty brat?”

Eren had part of his face hidden behind the mug, the rim brought up to the tip of his nose. “Y’know what I mean,” he muttered, blue-green gaze hardening as he glowered at the wood of the table. “And stop treating me like a child; I’m an adult.”

That was right. Eren wasn’t a kid anymore; he was an adult. Someday, he would probably want Levi to stop taking care of him, to stop being his caretaker. Someday, he would probably want to move out. Even if he was already technically living alone with Levi in the apartment, it was still Grisha’s apartment, under Grisha’s name. Someday, Eren would probably fall in love with someone young and at his age and would marry them and would move in with them and would live happily ever fucking after with them.

“You’re right.” Levi’s face was blank as he waved Sasha over for the bill, who turned a brown-eyed gaze towards Eren in concern.

“We’re leaving,” Levi stated and Eren said nothing, only fumbled with his pockets clumsily before sliding out his credit card from his wallet and onto the table towards Sasha. She was quick to return and the raven was grateful when the waitress not only brought back the receipt and Eren’s credit card, but also their jackets and Levi’s scarf. Sasha left their garments on Levi’s bench and Eren stood up, wobbling slightly on his feet. Levi immediately stood up at that, steadying the brat before slipping the credit card back into his wallet then helping him slip on his jacket. Levi decided to wrap his scarf around Eren’s neck as well, prudent towards the thought that Eren might catch a cold the moment he stepped outside with his body heated up like a furnace from the alcohol at the moment. The brat was muttering something murderously under his breath. Levi thought he caught Erwin’s name in the string of profanities, but that was probably in his imagination.

Levi thanked Sasha politely after he had tugged on his own jacket, Eren’s arm thrown around his shoulders and body snug against his side as the brat leaned his weight against the smaller male. Levi let out a _tch_ as he practically had to drag the shitty brat out the door, hearing Sasha call out a “come back again soon” as they left.

Levi struggled to basically half-carry Eren home. He was tempted to just throw Eren over his shoulder, but Eren seemed to weigh heavier in his drunken state. These were moments when Levi wished Eren was still the scrawny brat that he was back in high school. But then again, the muscles did look nice on his body. Besides, Levi had handled worse situations; a walk home with drunk Eren was no big deal.

By the time Levi had dropped Eren down onto his bed, he was passed out cold. Levi rolled his eyes at the pathetic state of the brat then proceeded to strip off his clothes, leaving his flushed skin exposed to the light chill of autumn air, flushed skin that Levi had to force himself to look away from. He had been about to tuck the sheets over Eren when it happened.

The shitty brat wasn’t unconscious, after all.

His hand shot out — surprisingly quick for an inebriated person — and fingers wrapped around Levi’s wrist in a firm grip. A harsh tug later, Levi was falling face first against Eren’s chest, eyes widening in shock. He felt muscular arms snake around his torso and tightening in a soft squeeze.

“Don’t go,” Eren mumbled sleepily, words still slurred from the alcohol in his system.

Levi’s body froze against Eren’s, his head tilted to the side so that his cheek was pressed against warm skin. Levi could hear his own blood rushing in his ears, the pounding of his heart seeming to increase in volume and for a moment, he wondered if Eren could hear it, wondered if Eren was aware of the crimson organ beating against his ribcage, wanting to be freed. For a moment, Levi let himself relax, let him lose himself in the warmth and shed the indifferent demeanour before the situation registered itself in his mind. A bucket of ice dumped over his throbbing head, a palm of meaty flesh slapping across his pale cheek.

“Eren, let go.”

When the brunet made no indication that he was going to move, the raven roughly pulled himself away and stumbled off the bed, grasping the fabric of his sweater over his heart. He pursed his lips and clenched his jaws at the way the brat let out a soft _whine_ , brows furrowing and hands searching the bed despite closed eyes, until he was too exhausted to move. Eren’s drowsy movements grew sluggish then stopped, his breathing gradually evening out, chest rising and falling slowly. Levi gritted his teeth and threw the covers over the shitty brat before hastily making his way to the door. He stopped though, fingers gripping around the doorframe until his knuckles turned white and angling his head to let blue-grey orbs linger on the peaceful sleeping form.

_No._

Levi shut the door and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, for everyone who had read the previous chapter before I posted this one, please go back and reread the last couple lines/paragraphs. I had just realized that the last paragraph or two at the very end didn't post properly, and I'm not sure if this was just me or for every as well, but this is just to let you guys know.
> 
> Now, I am very sorry for the super late update. I had completely forgotten that I would be in Tokyo for a week when I posted the last chapter and had not realized that I was supposed to update until the day before I was supposed to (I aim to update every Monday), and I didn't want to rush out a chapter. So, to make up for that, I will try my very best to post another update within this week or do a double post somewhere in the near future. Thank you so much for being patient with me, and thank you so much again for reading, commenting, giving kudos and/or subscribing etc. As always, enjoy! And (hopefully, I will keep my word), I will see you all next week!

Eren felt like his skull had been smashed through with Thor’s renowned hammer, as if the Norse god had all along held an irrational grudge against the brunet and had finally released the thunder of vengeance. His throat was parched as if he had been stranded in a desert for days on end, mouth dry and sticky with gunk from sleeping with breathing through his mouth rather than nose. What was worse was that despite his state of disorientation, Eren still remembered that he had classes in the afternoon. A groan immediately let its presence known at that thought as he sat up unhurriedly, sluggishly, blanket sliding down to his waist. His body still felt flushed with heat, the alcohol probably still taking its sweet time to dispel through his skin. The digital clock on his nightstand reading almost one in the afternoon — though he barely managed to read it considering his squinting eyes — indicated that he still had around two hours before his classes would begin. Next to the clock, he caught sight of a pair of pills sitting next to a glass of water, a sticky note clinging onto the glass with neat handwriting printed on the pale yellow square.

_Take the pills and drink the water before you shower. And please do shower, you fucking reek of alcohol you filthy brat._

Eren rolled his eyes at the typical Levi message before doing as he was told, taking the pills and gulping down the water as if his life depended on it. Then, with pure will and scarce mental strength, he forced himself out of bed and dragged his feet towards the bathroom.

Stepping under the shower, he let his eyes flutter close and tepid water beat against his scalp for a while before proceeding to massage shampoo into his hair, attempting to soothe his headache away while allowing hopefully merciful waves of memories to slowly roll themselves back into the oceans of his mind. He remembered going to class in the morning. He remembered Jean coming over to work on some essay that was due next week, or something, not that he _really_ cared. He remembered seeing Erwin—

_Erwin._

Just the thought of the man’s name made Eren’s blood boil in his veins, hot and bubbling and foaming in the pits of his gut. He always _knew_ there was something sketchy about the man; the blond giant was simply too meticulous, too punctilious, too _perfect_ even when there was an air of cunningness radiating off of him. The way he had cornered Levi was not only simply unarming, but had also pretty much confirmed Eren’s suspicions: Erwin had been threatening Levi.

But then again, this was Levi. Despite his petite stature, Levi could probably flip a sumo wrestler if he wanted to. _That_ was how strong Levi was. Levi was never one to bow down to anyone, even if he was almost Eren’s “butler” in a sense since he helped Eren with basically every aspect of his life, and almost dressed like one on his “work days” (although Eren never liked the sound of that title, and Levi’s “work days” were also basically close to everyday). Levi was potty-mouthed, abrasive, and constantly insulted Eren as if _he_ was the employer, not the employee, and Levi would never just simply allow anyone to force him into anything, let alone _Erwin_.

Eren’s internal laugh at his own absurdity was stunted as a thought crossed his mind _,Then what if he had wanted that?_

Eren left the shower after that.

Fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist and hair inattentively towelled dry, water droplets still hanging off dark strands, he blinked owlishly at Levi clad in his work outfit bent over the bed, already rearranging the pillows and blankets, the ever immaculate man he was. Eren’s mind strayed as Caribbean eyes trailed down the lean form to rest on the way black slacks stretched over the raven’s plump behind, tongue swiping against his lips in satisfaction at the fine sight. Eren would _definitely_ be lying if he said he didn’t check out Levi’s body — no, more often than not specifically, his _ass_ — every once in a while. Actually, probably more than simply every once in a while. The raven did have a very fine behind, and Eren definitely had a thing for people with fine behinds. But before Eren could conjure up numerous images of everything that he could do with the raven bent over, the man in question straightened up and turned around.

Eren gave a sheepish grin, hand reaching up to rub at the nape of his neck in an attempt to hide his earlier thoughts from physically showing on his expression. “Morning, Levi,” he greeted.

Levi raised an eyebrow skeptically, his sharp awareness probably already catching onto Eren’s dirty little perverted mind, but otherwise didn’t make any direct eye contact, keeping silver orbs trained onto Eren’s chest instead before he turned back around. “Come down and eat breakfast after you’ve changed. Or, well, lunch, but I’m making you breakfast foods ‘cause I know you like that,” was all Levi said before leaving Eren’s bedroom, shutting the door as he went.

Eren frowned at that. He had been anticipating the scolding for drinking too much on a weeknight, the chiding for waking up way later than usual when he could have used the extra time to prepare for his classes later on in the day, the rebuking of being a “shitty brat who still couldn’t do anything despite being twenty years old and in the second year of university”. Yet, there was none of that.

Did Eren do something odd yesterday?

He shook his head as he proceeded to change into a light grey long-sleeved T-shirt and tattered denims. Nothing could be strange enough for Levi to be somewhat ignoring him. It was Levi, after all. Levi had seen Eren at his very worst, and still treated him with usual behaviour. There was simply no way anything could be strange enough for Levi to avoid him. Besides, one thing that Eren had liked about Levi as a person was his ever-present honesty and straightforwardness. If something was truly wrong, Levi would have said something about it.

With this final resolve, Eren headed downstairs with his messenger bag and leather jacket slung over one shoulder.

Levi, as always, was precise with his timing, already setting down a plate of eggs Benedict right when Eren was taking his seat. A groan rumbled in Eren’s chest at the heavenly smell, his tongue running across his lips as he practically salivates at the sight of the golden hollandaise sauce spreading itself over the poached eggs, bacon strips and muffin halves.

“I swear, I will seriously start gaining weight at this point,” Eren mused and started hungrily cutting into his breakfast.

It wasn’t until after a few seconds had passed by that Eren noticed Levi’s lack of response. The usual would be “would you rather be served oatmeal” or some other disgusting options, or a snort of incredulity with a comment of how Eren went to the gym regularly so sudden weight gain would never happen, or simply calling Eren a brat. But there was none of that. Eren lifted his head up from his food to give a questioning look, swallowing the bite that was in his mouth.

The raven had his thin eyebrows furrowed deep in thought as he scrubbed at the counter of the kitchen, lips pursed, almost pouted. Eren watched the older man for a moment, who had been scrubbing the same area over and over again despite it already being spotless.

“Levi, you’ve been there for over a minute now, it’s spotless and practically sparkling,” Eren pointed out, to which Levi froze at.

Rather than biting back a reply like the typical Levi, he simply moved onto the next stripe of counter, and Eren wore his own frown at that.

Did he do something wrong on the previous night?

He continued recalling his memories.

He remembered seeing Erwin. He remembered not liking it. He remembered working the evening away on the essay with Jean. He remembered inviting Levi out for dinner. He remembered he had the intention of asking Levi about Erwin. He remembered going to Sasha’s family’s izakaya. He remembered the delicious food and the refreshing beers. He remembered not following his original plans of asking Levi about Erwin. He remembered paying for dinner. He remembered Levi helping him home. He remembered…

Nothing more.

Surely there was nothing more. Knowing Levi and the umpteen times that Eren had either stumbled home drunk or needed Levi to pick him up because he had one too many to drink, Levi had probably tucked him into bed. And if he was puking, Levi would clean him up before doing so. But Eren didn’t remember any puking incidents from the previous night. Levi would also usually _definitely_ scold him about the drinks, but deep down Eren knew Levi was worried despite the razor-edged words that held no true venom.

So why was Levi acting like...that?

Eren shook his head again and continued on with his food; he was probably overthinking this.

After taking his time with his meal, with Levi still barely making any comments nor eye contact, it was time for Eren to head to the university.

He tried not to dwell on Levi too much for the rest of the day, yet, he couldn’t help it. Just like the guilt that had curled itself up and made itself comfortable at the pit of Eren’s stomach. He didn’t know the origins of it, just that it was _there_ and not planning to leave anytime soon. He knew Jean had noticed the stiff mood that he was in, because right after their classes for the day were done, which was evening by then, he had a barrel of questions fired at him.

“Okay, what the _fuck_ is up with you today?” Jean was scowling as they walked down the hallway, preparing to leave the campus. “If anything, you are worse than you were yesterday as if more shit crawled back up your ass and died and rot to the point of you being able to smell it from miles away.”

“Okay, that is way too graphic for my liking,” Eren deadpanned and returned Jean’s scowl with a disgusted one.

Jean ignored the comment. “I already told you that you can talk to me, so talk.”

Eren let out a reluctant sigh. “I went out for dinner with Levi yesterday, got drunk, and don’t know what the fuck I did wrong because he’s been acting weird today.”

Skepticism made itself known across Jean’s features, an eyebrow raised and one cheek slightly lifted in a small grimace. “Isn’t he always weird though?”

Eren’s scowl from earlier returned, now one of reprimand rather than disgust. “Don’t be mean to Levi, I’ll beat you.”

A dramatic roll of light brown eyes was Jean’s response before he spoke, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. As if you could anyway. But, jokes aside, why don’t you just, you know, _talk_ to him you dumb shit.”

Eren’s shoulders raised in a small shrug and he ignored Jean’s insults when he replied, “I don’t know, I just assumed everything was fine at first. Levi’s blunt and straightforward, and he would say it if something is wrong, so I just kinda assumed that if he isn’t saying anything, then everything is fine. But I don’t know, I can’t get my mind off of his weird behaviour.”

Jean wore an unreadable expression for a moment too long to Eren’s liking before a grin stretched his lips. He casually threw an arm around Eren’s shoulders, earning him a peculiar look when he brought his face closer.

“How about, since it’s a Friday night, let’s go out drinking, and you can forget your problems a bit and deal with them tomorrow?”

Eren did not look impressed at all with that solution. In fact, his answer was dry enough to bring a rain forest to drought: “Wow, great advice, Jean. What a great friend you are, telling me to get wasted the day after I got wasted. You should _totally_ be the person everyone goes to for advice.”

“Come _on_ Yeager, it’ll be fun! Live a little!” the horseface had the nerve to further persuade, but Eren couldn’t help but think that it was tempting, the notion of alcohol and letting loose.

A grudging sigh escaped his lips at his own weak resolve before he gave a small smile. “Okay, I’m in.”

Reaching into his pocket to fish out his phone, he sent a brief text to Levi, just to inform that he wouldn’t be home for dinner and would be back a little later.

  
**Eren:** Hey Levi. I’m going out to drink with Jean. I’ll be back a bit late, and I’ll be eating out. Thanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think will happen when Eren and Jean go out drinking? :)
> 
> Also, (please do let me know your opinion on this), if I have a Twitter or Instagram, would you guys follow it? It will mostly be used for things like giving you guys notices if I'm late on updates and bits and bobs of my life for example I got some SNK goods in Tokyo and would love to share. Just that kinda thing, maybe there'd be more. And if so, would you guys prefer Twitter or Instagram or both? Thank you! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally set up some social media accounts! You can find them here:
> 
> Twitter: [InxomniacWriter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)
> 
> Instagram: [inxomniacwriter](https://www.instagram.com/inxomniacwriter/)

By the fifth pint of beer (or perhaps more, he had started losing count around that number), Eren was starting to feel his vision blurring, his mind fogging, his movements weighing. Though his jacket — both his and Jean’s jackets — was laid to the side, his cheeks were heated and slightly tinted a soft shade of crimson from the alcohol that was buzzing through his veins.

It wasn’t that he was a lightweight in particular; he was generally a pretty average drinker, just too many things on his mind that he was more than willing to wipe away with mind-numbing alcohol at rapid speed. There was school to worry about. There was work to worry about. There was his dad to worry about. There was Erwin to worry about. There was Levi to worry about. That was way too many things for his brain to even _begin_ to fathom.

Eren and Jean were sitting across from each other at the izakaya that Eren had just been to with Levi the previous night, Sasha’s family business. Eren didn’t know how long they had been there for, just knew that they had been there for quite a while. He had an elbow propped up against the table, cheek resting against palm with fingers of the other hand bringing up the large mug of ale to his lips. He had already significantly slowed down and took small sips of the beverage instead, rather than knocking them back one after the other. He slumped a bit more against the booth as he, with an absence of true interest, hazily watched an increasing amount of people swarming in after work and overtime hours; the entire restaurant was packed with people. Perhaps some similar to him, wanting to simply forget their worries of the week, or perhaps some just simply enjoying time with those close to them. The loud chatter droned against Eren’s eardrums, allowing him to pick up conversations from here and there before they faded from his consciousness, and the dimmed colours of the space was starting to melt against one another.

Jean, on the other hand, had his gaze trained on Eren. His own face was flushed pink as well, both from the gentle blasts of heat in the restaurant and the alcohol that too, was churning in his body. Although Jean would probably never admit it aloud, Eren knew that he could hold his alcohol a bit better than Jean. Just marginally, but enough that Jean had begun simply nursing his own drink long before Eren had even started to slow down. Sensing the stare, Eren returned a blue-green one of his own, slightly hooded and in a gentle daze.

“What?” he muttered.

Jean leaned his elbow on the table and pressed his cheek against his palm, mimicking Eren’s posture. “You know, you still haven’t told me the other reasons why you’re bothered. Yeah, there’s Levi this, Levi that, but what else?” Jean prodded, eyes holding a glint of inquisitiveness.

Eren’s expression of apathy immediately disappeared, his lips morphing into a deep scowl instead. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Come on, I know something’s bothering you — let’s face facts, Eren, I know you way better than you give me credit for, so spill,” Jean pressed, angling his body forward just the tiniest bit to emphasize his point.

Eren considered this. He was conscious of it, the fact that his emotions increased tenfold and became way more easily swayed in a tipsy state. He used to often — still sometimes did — get remarks on how he wore his heart on his sleeve, _too_ much on that damned sleeve, and he knew he could potentially make stupid comments. He was also stuck in a state where he was conscious of how his actions were wild and his mouth lacked a filter, yet, he couldn’t bring himself to care less. Besides, a part of him reassured himself that this was Jean he was with; the person who argued with him 24/7, but also the person who _knew_ him, so it seemed fine to him really. Maybe he really needed to release the thoughts he didn’t know how to decipher himself and seek advice from someone else.

But then again, Jean did give the advice of simply drinking and forgetting.

“What do you think of Erwin?” Eren asked, his lips pursing into a soft pout in a moping manner.

One of Jean’s eyebrows lifted at that, his cheek twitching and quirking up slightly in bewilderment. “Hah? Who?”

“You know, dad’s business partner,” Eren elaborated in a mutter. “The one with the weirdass eyebrows—”

“Oh! Him!” Jean exclaimed in realization, light brown eyes widening slightly. “Captain America!”

Eren gave a deadpan look. “What?”

“Big, tall, blond, muscular, always in a suit, caterpillar eyebrows right?”

“But Captain America?” Eren’s eyebrows furrowed as his gaze dropped to stare at the half empty beer in his mug. “Captain’s Mr. Tall and Muscles and Handsome and _Swoony_ , I think he’s _way_ better looking than that piece of blond shit, especially the _eyebrows_. I don’t know, eyebrows are important — to an extent at least — and Erwin’s look like he had shaved off half of each and layered that onto the rest of his brows to make them short and thick and stubby and _blegh_. Like caterpillars. Right, caterpillars. _Gross_.”

Jean actually laughed at Eren’s long ramble, despite it being a long chain of slurred words slightly jumbled together, before his mirth was cut short by his curiosity overpowering it. “So what? What about Mr. Eyebrows?”

“ _Ugh_ , he’s just _annoying_ ,” Eren exclaimed, waving his hands in exaggeration before harshly slamming his palms against the table, making Jean jump slightly in surprise. Eren could get a little crazy when he was drunk. Eren was aware of it too, especially with his emotions going off like dynamites at any second. But no matter how long Jean had known Eren for, he still couldn’t get used to these drunken mood swings.

“How so?” Jean tilted his head even more to the side, trying to act indifferent. Although Eren could tell Jean was hiding the sudden spiking interest, he decided not to comment on it, because right now, there were more important things to worry about. Things involving a certain piece of blond shit.

“Do you remember what he did to Levi? When you came over for that essay? God, that was _infuriating_ , that was so _annoying_. Like, can’t he keep his fifty paws to himself? Like, I get that Levi is tiny and petite and cute, but that doesn’t give him the _right_ to just force him into that...that position! Like, where are his manners? Like, isn’t he some kinda ass-kissing lawyer or whatever? Isn’t he supposedly perfect in every sense?” Eren was huffing by the time he had finished, his skin of his palm beginning to numb from the times he had smacked it against the table as he was venting his rage. Picking up his beer, he chugged the rest in one fell swoop without feeling the usual burn of the effervescence before setting it — more like smashing it — against the table noisily and immediately waving his fingers in the air for another order. Somewhere in the alcoves of his mind, somewhere in his brain that possessed _some_ logic, some _rational_ scrap in him knew he should probably stop. But a bigger part of him was trying to feed him more alcohol, probably until he got liver damage, or until he had to be rushed to the ER and get his stomach pumped. Not that those things mattered in that moment when he was so riled up at nothing and everything. Or more specifically, at that piece of blond shit. _Ugh._

Jean had gone silent and Eren hadn’t noticed even noticed until another pint of beer was set down in front of him. He trained a questioning blue-green gaze on his two-toned-haired companion, just to find the other’s eyes pointed towards his own drink, a scowl curving the sides of his lips downwards.

“Hello? Earth to Jean?” Now it was Eren’s turn to scowl. “What? Was that all you had to say to the long rant I just had? _Virtually nothing_? Well, great talk. Good times.”

Jean seemed to snap out of a daze at the words directed to him, a startled expression crossing his features before the scowl returned. Only, this one was way overstated, rivalling Eren’s.

“Why do you care so much about what he does with Levi anyways? It’s not like it’s any of your business. He’s just your employee, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but Levi is like family!” Eren cried out, and in that moment, that scarce sensible portion in him was glad that everyone was just as loud in the restaurant, or people would have thought he was crazy. Or, maybe he was, at least while he was still in a state of intoxication.

Jean shrugged, his eyes narrowing slightly. “So? What he does is none of your business. Smith could be bending him over and pounding his ass for all you know, right in the room beside yours while you sleep. Or, for all you _don’t_ know.”

Oh, Jean was just looking to get punched.

“What the fuck, Jean?” Eren hissed and shook his beer in exasperation as his eyes narrowed in a glare of feverish hostility. He brought the mug back to his lips to quickly take a deep gulp before continuing his bellowing, but now on a different topic. Just like that, his emotions shifted into an entire different dimension.

“Levi is my precious...I don’t even know what he is, actually. But he’s been there since back in the day, okay? He was there for me whenever I needed it — and he literally does _everything_ for me. Ugh, his food is good too, and he’s nice to look at, y’know? Did you know, his ass looks really great in slacks. Or well, anything, really. He has a great ass…”

Eren trailed off with a pensive expression, his gaze no longer on Jean as he stared out into the space of the restaurant, swilling down the last mouthfuls of his beer. When his attention was returned to Jean, he realized the little shit had already paid for the bill.

“Hey, what the fuck?” Eren deadpanned, displaying an incredulous look.

Jean waved it off. “I think it’s time to leave, considering that if you feed yourself more alcohol, you won’t be able to stand, or, actually, die of alcohol poisoning, and I’m not about to carry you to the ER. And don’t worry about the bill, it’s fine.”

Eren wanted to protest, not only about the bill, but also about leaving so early — not that he knew what time it was — but his jacket was shoved onto his body and he was being dragged out of his seat without him being able to even properly grasp the situation. Before he knew it, the pair was emerging from the door to the restaurant and he stumbling down the couple of steps into the cold deserted street. Just faintly, Eren could still hear the bright chatter from all the restaurants and such along the street, dimmed lights from small, blurred windows offering the secluded area more light. He swayed on his feet for a moment, mind and body unfocused before he snapped back into focus, staring at Jean, whose face greeted him with a blank expression.

“Ready to go home?” Jean asked. “I’ll bring you home.”

Eren couldn’t even protest before he was being tugged along the streets at the heels of Jean. Time seemed to fly by as they reached Eren’s apartment, where they simply stood outside with Eren staring at the door before turning to look at Jean.

Eren pouted. He actually pouted, a full pout. Bottom lip jutting out and all as his expression fell into one of a kicked puppy. “But, but Levi is there, and I think he’s still mad.”

Jean actually looked vexed at that, a glower fixating on his face. “Is he literally all you can talk about? Can you talk about something else?”

“Like what? You?”

To Eren’s surprise, Jean gave an almost dangerous smirk at that, which only bemused Eren; he only gave that look when he was about to pick a fight, or counter someone picking a fight with him.

“Yeah, like me. Do you even understand what you’re doing?”

Eren tilted his head gently to the side in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Jean curled his lip back into a sneer and shoved Eren against the door, hands pressed against the wood to trap the man’s body in between his arms. Eren blinked in shock at the sudden change in behaviour before it clicked in his mind, a scowl reaching his lips.

“Jean, fuck off. The fuck are you doing?” he scoffed and made an attempt to escape, only to realize how futile his efforts were, and _how close their bodies were_ ; enough that he could feel the warmth rolling off Jean like waves, waves of comfort he was so familiar with, and still was.

“This,” was all Jean said before he leaned in, pressing his lips against Eren’s.

Eren stilled. In that moment, any drop of alcohol seemed to evaporate from his system, or perhaps increase tenfold, he couldn’t really tell which. Because, there was no way that Jean was kissing him, right? They did that in _high school_ , and...the last time was over _two years ago_. But he knew one thing: he wasn’t thinking rationally. That tiny part of rationality that was in him? Gone. Expired. Dead. _Good_ as dead. Because he welcomed the kiss with eyelids fluttering shut.

In the sea of foreign emotions and cognition of foreign thoughts that he had never experienced before, he found familiarity in something that he knew. It wasn’t that he was still hung up on Jean like when he was still seventeen, wasn’t that he had feelings for Jean, because he had gotten over Jean long ago. But it was just the sense of painful _familiarity_ when he felt those lips pressed against his own, and the need to forget everything for a little while, more so that need if he was to be honest. He knew it was wrong, wrong to ignore responsibilities and use Jean as an escape, a stress reliever, but they both knew there were no strings attached anymore, right?

Eren ended up kissing back.

He slipped his arms around Jean’s neck as he pressed back, body heat from each curling around the other like it had happened so many times in the past. Eren parted his lips and eagerly greeted the tongue that met his own, soft warm wetness that caressed him and assured him: _familiarity_. Anything to push away the foreignness of newfound discoveries of his own thoughts, his own mind, his own self. The kiss didn’t last long. Or rather, that was how it felt, when it had probably lasted longer, and Jean was pulling back slightly and the two were opening their eyes.

“You’re drunk,” Jean breathed. “But, so am I.”

“Come in,” Eren snorted.

Eren fumbled with his keys. He was lost in a trance, even when they made it into the apartment. Even when Eren found himself once again pressed up against the door with their arms tangled around each other and lips slotted together. Even when Eren angled his face just ever so slightly to better fit their mouths together, tongues pressed against each other in a feverish manner. Even when their fingers left teasing touches on the other’s body that were not nearly enough to really satisfy Eren’s desire: _to forget_.

But not when he heard that familiar sleepy voice.

“Eren?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think of the chapter :) What do you think will happen next?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh I'm so sorry for leaving you guys for three weeks(?). I had a bit of a writer's block and I also got pretty busy. This chapter is a bit short and seem a bit like a filler chapter. The reason for this is supposedly, I still wanted to illustrate Levi's thought process and such, but if I had continued the chapter, it would have ended up being way too long in comparison to my other chapters and completely throw off the balance (when I go back to re-edit this work, I might consider making the chapters longer, but for now, short and sweet). I will probably be busy for a while, so the double update that I had previously promised when I didn't update as I was in Tokyo may not come until mid-June. Please bear with me.
> 
> Thank you all so much for being patient, and for reading, commenting or giving kudos etc. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Eren:** Hey Levi. I’m going out to drink with Jean. I’ll be back a bit late, and I’ll be eating out. Thanks.

 

It was frustrating.

Levi could feel it bubbling in his veins and churning through his vessels. He could feel it in his blood that kept him breathing, yet in that moment, he felt like he couldn’t; his lungs felt constricted and his chest ached for air, as if all oxygen suddenly made a unanimous decision that he wasn’t worth the luxury.

It wasn’t like this was an unfamiliar feeling though, was it? He had felt it one too many times in the past, after all.

But what kind of shit was the shitty brat trying to pull?

The command for dinner was one thing, but the shit the little _bastard_ had pulled later that night in his drunken state was another.

Except, when Levi really thought about it, the brat had seemed completely sober with how firm his actions had been. In that moment, there was no hesitation in the way his body had moved, the way those fingers had wrapped around Levi’s wrist and tugged, the way those arms had curled themselves around Levi.

 _Am I just a substitute when your_ friend _is busy and you feel lonely?_

At one point, that thought had crossed Levi’s mind, and an incredulous scoff had escaped him. It was quite an unexpected thought that had flitted through his cognition when he was pondering on what to do with himself for the next few hours, and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy with it or not — most likely the latter if he was to be frank, but it was more like he didn’t really know what to think of it.

It wasn’t that having some time alone and having the silence of the apartment to himself wasn’t nice, because it was; he enjoyed the serenity that came with it, and the _privacy_ that came with it (because that was the one thing his lucky stars never really liked granting while he was in the presence of Eren). There was less to worry about, and he got to roam around on his own in quietness, lost in his own thoughts.

But not when so many thoughts were trying to cram themselves into his mind.

It was around almost half past seven when Eren had sent the text. Levi knew beforehand that Eren had two lectures that were two and a half hours long each, and knew he would be late anyways. But he had expected the brat to come home after having to sit through those tedious hours with a _hangover_ , not going out with Jean, to _drink_ at that, _again_. The stupid brat probably already had a damaged liver from the previous night and was still going out for more drinks. Levi would be pleasantly surprised if he didn’t end up having to rush the brat into the ER.

That wasn’t any of Levi’s business though, was it?

Levi immersed himself in anything that would distract his clutter of thoughts; he was worried, confused, frustrated, and a sealed bottle of jumbled emotions. He began with cleaning, dusting shelves until even tattered and ancient books looked good as new. He wiped the windows until not a single speck of dust was left clinging onto the glass. He experimented with a new brand of toilet cleaner on the toilets and abolished any germs on the porcelain with an insistent sponge. He scrubbed the tables and countertops and bathtubs and floors until they were practically sparkling and screaming cleanliness. He vacuumed over the floors that he had scoured and mopped persistently.

Yet, he still wasn’t distracted.

By the time he was finally done, it was already almost midnight (he stuck to the belief that cleaning being a precise process was a _must_ ). He tugged off the scarves around his head and face to drop them into the hamper before heading off to the bathroom in his room.

Stepping into the bathtub and standing under the shower, glass sliding doors shut, he allowed his eyelids to flutter close, feeling water gently raining down, tender touch sliding through the strands of his hair and along the edges of his skin, yet the scalding heat that bestowed upon him was merciless and unforgiving, a mimic of his own mind. It was an attempt to cleanse and wipe away his own thoughts, however.

A soft sigh escaped his wet parted lips. He could feel small drops of water hanging off the edges of his mouth as he pressed the supple flesh into a grim line. He knew, without a doubt, that there were way too many complications if his feelings towards Eren were any more than those of an employee towards employer. Actually, he wasn’t even sure what said “feelings” were. He knew that they had existed for a while now, just violently rammed into the crevices of his intercostal, the flesh between his ribs, because his heart had way too many to hold more, because he knew that they were _wrong_. For a while, when Eren was still a teenager, and he was still a young adult, fresh out of his own teenage years and still adjusting to adulthood, he was almost — _almost_ — convinced that he had felt more for Eren, and had spent the longest time to induce himself that he didn’t. One, he was eight years older than the brat — the shitty brat was still a _child_ when Levi’s adolescence had came to an end. Two, again, he was merely an employee in the brat’s eyes. Three, the brat would probably stop needing Levi the moment he finished university. No matter how Levi thought of this, it would just never happen.

He wasn’t sure whether that realization relieved him or caused further distress.

Levi ended up spending a solid hour in the shower, and almost another going through his nightly routine before bed. By the time he had dressed in his pajamas, it was already past two in the morning. He dressed himself a simple oversized charcoal sweater that ran past his hips and soft black pants, not that those were anything more than to lounge in until Eren came back since he found sleeping naked or in his underwear the most comfortable, but he would prefer not to have the brat catching him in his naked glory. Levi was exhausted, physically and mentally, and all he wanted to do in that moment was curl up in his bed until morning, but he had to wait up to make sure Eren was okay. Somehow, that notion didn’t seem to irritate him as much as he thought it would. Perhaps it was the protective instinct he had towards Eren.

Levi padded back into his room, sliding an unfinished book off his nightstand as he headed towards the window seat that would allow him to look over the city skyline. He settled against the cushions, squirming a little to achieve utmost comfort before flipping to the page of the book that he had left off.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been reading for, he seemed to be losing track of time a lot recently, but his senses perked up when soft thumps and sounds of lousy jiggling of a door’s handle reached his attentive ears. A yawn made its presence known, widening his jaws as he was setting down his book. Knowing that it was Eren, he choked back a sigh at the thought of having to take care of the likely drunken bastard — again. He began making his way towards the hallway, using the edge of a sleeve to attempt to rub sleep out of an eye as he did so. When no other sounds were made other than the front door being roughly shut, he paused in his steps and a frown made its way onto his eyebrows, weariness creeping along the edges of his skin. Eren was generally a loud drunk, so where the hell was the bastard?

Levi treaded quietly down the stairs, calling out said culprit’s name as he did so.

“Eren?”

But he halted in his steps as soon as the blur of drowsiness disappeared from his vision, and he wished it had stayed. It felt like a leash had been bound around his throat, and whoever was on the other end had suddenly yanked it back with all their might, hauling Levi’s body backwards and sending him sprawling onto the ground, onto his back, a foot pressing down onto his torso. It wasn’t an immediate stomp either; it was a slow application of pressure against his chest, until his lungs would eventually give out.

Eren was pressed against the door, by none other than the boy with the two-toned hair, Jean. From the angle that Levi was standing at, he was blatantly reminded of the fourth reason of why Eren would always see him as an employee, only. Could feel a fist driven into his gut, the image embedding itself to his head, branding a singeing scar onto his skin of lips slotted together, arms locked in embrace, bodies pushing against each other.

Something seemed to sober, a slap in the face, a dawn of recognition, as Eren snapped open his eyes, Caribbean orbs flashing as they met sharp, silver ones. His touch turned harsh, fingertips that were grazing along the edges of Jean’s skin became hostile, hands shoving against body.

“L-Levi—”

Levi didn’t know what to say. He didn’t really want to say anything, actually.

“You’re home.”

Someone had to hate him, for them to crack open his ribs with miniscule rifts and take them apart, to expose the depths of his being, reveal his true vulnerability. His head felt a bit achy, like knuckles knocking and pressing down against his temples, a soft wave of dizziness rolling against his skin. He could feel his fingers trembling at his sides lightly, bones quaking against flesh and skin; clenched them into fists to stop. His mouth felt as if cotton had been shoved against the wet tissues, sucking away the moisture and leaving him parched; a man in the desert, desperate for some water.

He was desperate for water, but what that water was, he didn’t know.

Although he could hear Eren’s footsteps following in the ghost of his, Levi was already stalking back into his room and shutting the door behind him, locking it. His back slid against smooth wood and he landed on his bottom with a soft thump, drew his knees against his chest to wrap arms around his legs.

_Why does it even bother me?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter :)
> 
> I also made a Tumblr recently, you can find me on these platforms:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/inxomniacwriter/)  
> [Tumblr](https://inxomniacwriter.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for all the kudos, comments and subscriptions etc., they really make my day! I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

Levi’s bones hurt when he woke up. He hadn’t even been aware that he had fallen asleep. One second he was contemplating over his own thoughts, the next he had dropped off, still on the floor slumped against the corner of his room that the door was closest to.

Cautious of making sudden movements that would further displease the stiffness of his body, he slowly stood up, heavily leaning against the wall to guide himself upright. Once he was on his feet and balanced to a certain degree, he steadily stretched out his limbs and torso, his body’s pops and groans of protest greeting his ears. It was with a forceful sigh and arduous steps when he finally began making his way to the bathroom.

A warm shower and his usual morning routine later, his body had stopped complaining as much, though still inducing him small aches here and there. He took a glance at the digital clock on his nightstand to find that it was eleven o’clock, closely shuffling towards twelve, and he almost wanted to laugh a bitter laugh at the irony — that he had managed to sleep the longest he had in months, on the floor.

It was Saturday, his “day off”, and for once, rather than wanting to laze around with tea and books, he could not _wait_ to leave the house. Already with a destination in mind, he quickly got dressed in a navy blue shirt and black jeans, black jacket over his top and charcoal grey scarf wrapped around his neck. After grabbing his essentials for going out, he slipped on casual black dress shoes before hurrying out the door. Although, knowing Eren, the brat wouldn’t be up until late at noon, especially since it was Saturday, and _especially_ since he probably had a hangover from the previous night.

Levi walked out of his apartment complex and headed down a couple blocks just to walk into another. The security guard at the lobby seemed to recognize him and gave him a small nod, to which Levi returned with an impassive one of his own. He rode the elevator up to one of the lower floors — the logic being if there was a fire, she would be able to escape the quickest — and rang the doorbell to Hange’s apartment.

Despite her considerably young age as an individual in the field of her profession, Hange Zoë was — although having an infamous reputation of having a couple loose screws — a successful medical scientists, as well as an author and co-author of various works that were published under Yeager Inc.’s specialized medical line. Levi had known Hange since high school. Having been named and cast as a freak himself, the two had ended up sticking together after days of persistent pestering on Hange’s part. Hange had obviously ended up pursuing multiple degrees in the scientific area, whilst Levi had ended up working for the Yeager family straight out of high school. However, they had kept in close contact with each other, especially since Hange had mostly stayed in the city, save for a couple years spent in another for gaining experience. Although the two were now busy in their respective jobs, they met up occasionally and tried their bests to make time for one another.

When the door didn’t open, Levi tried pushing his finger against the button to the doorbell again, but to no avail. A sound of irritation left his lips as his brows drew together in impatience. He slammed his palm against the door to the apartment a couple times before it was abruptly yanked open.

 _An absolutely trashed apartment as always,_ Levi noted in his head.

“Levi!”

Before the crazed woman could pounce Levi and smother him with a hug, the petite man sidestepped the assault and watched as his friend crashed into the opposite wall. Hange let out a groan and slouched against the wall for a moment before immediately jumping back up. As usual, her glasses that looked more like goggles than glasses were crooked on her nose, and her unkempt auburn hair was a wild mess even when it was (somewhat) held together in a high ponytail. She was still in her pajamas despite it being midday, a loose white short-sleeved T-shirt with more stains Levi could count on both hands a misshapen wrinkly mess over a black long-sleeved one, and ridiculous hot pink sweat pants littered with multicoloured polka dots covered her stupidly long legs.

“Levi! It’s good to see you!”

Levi gave a scowl. “It’s noon and you just got up, shitty glasses?”

Hange in turn gave a smirk, her response quick regardless of her giving off the appearance that she had just woken up, and probably _did_ just wake up.

“Doesn’t your brat wake up at noon as well?”

The scowl on Levi’s face deepened (if that was still possible). He shoved past Hange, shoulder bumping against hers, and stared at her apartment, face blanched when he already had a pale enough complexion, horrified and mortified.

If Levi didn’t do all the cleaning at Eren’s apartment, the penthouse would probably be a mirrored version of Hange’s apartment. Better or worse, Levi wouldn’t know, but it made appall twist in his gut just thinking about it.

Levi surveyed the disarray of Hange’s apartment. There were textbooks and notebooks spread out on the coffee table, some opened and some piled up to the point of being close to tipping over, but not quite yet. An assortment of stationery was scattered across the surface, mostly pens and pencils as well as empty ink fillers rolling around. As per usual, Hange’s creepy human body anatomy model was sitting on a smaller surface the size of a nightstand by the coffee table, a squishy lung missing and the liver laying on top of one of the notebooks. The model was accompanied by the human skeleton model, just standing around in the middle of the living room, empty eye sockets seemingly glaring back at Levi. There were clothes hanging by the backs of chairs and arms of the couch, some light-coloured articles dotted with stains. The open kitchen was in no better state, heaps of unwashed dishes stacked high. The most disgusting of all were the empty food wrappers and packages and takeout bags. Levi didn’t even want to begin to think about the state that Hange’s bedroom was in.

He slipped off his scarf and jacket and rolled up his sleeves, leaving the garments hanging on the back of Hange’s beloved old, tattered couch. He scrunched his nose a little as he did so, glaring at the layer of crumbs that had been there for gods know how long.

“Get some takeout, shitty four-eyes,” Levi ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument as he disappeared into the bathroom. “And don’t say you’ll cook, because you can manage to burn cereal.”

“That was one time! In the lab!” Hange exclaimed, but gave a quirk of her lips in complacent amusement, as if she was proud of the incident, and took out the abundance of takeout menus from a messy corner of her kitchen counter. “You up for anything in particular?”

“Just get something edible,” Levi grumbled as he padded back into the living room with a profusion of cleaning supplies he had managed to scavenge, from rubber gloves to half-empty bottles of Windex to small square towels. “What the hell, why are all your cleaning shit half-empty?”

Hange barked out a laugh and gave a wide grin as she looked up from where she was perched on a kitchen stool. “Honey, I haven’t used those in...months? Well, you’re the only one who ever uses them, and _that_ was the last time this beautiful rathole was cleaned. I hid half of them from you but you just ended up buying more, hence the half-empty ones.”

Levi pursed his lips together, feeling his jaw tick. “Filthy rat.”

Hange just laughed again as Levi got to work at profusely wiping at any surface he could find, meticulously sweeping the floors clear and excessively scrubbing at the horrid stack of unwashed dishes. He even had the courtesy to return the missing organs of the human body anatomy model.

As Levi was drying the last plate at the sink of the open kitchen, scrupulously rubbing at the chipped edges, the doorbell rang. Hange answered it and placed a bag of food onto the bar counter, the smell of his favourite Chinese takeout drifting up his nose.

“You know, you come over to my apartment with the only intent being cleaning when you’re stressed,” Hange stated as she began taking out the boxes of food. “Care to enlighten me, my tiny friend?”

Levi drew his lips back in a sneer, not at the request but more at the name.

“Tch. There isn’t anything to talk about.”

An overdramatic sigh burst from Hange’s lips as she plopped down onto the kitchen stool noisily, opening two takeout boxes, pushing one towards Levi and pulling one towards herself “Levi, Levi, Levi, my precious midget.” Levi shot her a glare, taking note to remind himself to rip her tongue out once he was done cleaning the plate. She continued, “It’s clear as day what you feel for that boy. Everyone can see it, I think you’re the only one who doesn’t.” As she finished, she dug her chopsticks into the takeout box and slurped at her stir-fried egg noodles loudly, a sound that made Levi cringe and shoot more daggers at her.

Levi set down the plate on top of the stack of freshly washed dishes and sat down across from Hange, taking out chopsticks from the plastic bag and digging into the food himself. “That’s right, he’s a _boy_. That’s enough of an explanation why these “feelings” that you’re talking about don’t exist.”

Hange looked up at Levi from her food, sucking in the strand of noodle that was hanging off the edge of her lips. “You’re not that much older than him—”

“I’m closer to thirty than twenty.”

“—and Eren’s a big boy! He’s twenty, in university, and already helping out with the company. I think he can make his own choices on who be in a relationship with.”

“I think you’re forgetting the fact that he doesn’t even see me as more than his caretaker.”

“That boy is smitten with you! Do you even—”

“He was making out with Jean.”

That managed to shut Hange up. _Good,_ Levi thought, watching as the cheerful happy-go-lucky smile ebb away from his companion’s face, an expectant look replacing it that Levi sighed at, finally deciding to let up on the events on the previous days, albeit only a brief account.

“On Thursday night, he demanded going out for dinner with me, so we did, and went out to one of his friend’s family restaurant. He got drunk, gave me a hug and all that shit, blabbed on about not wanting me to leave. Then last night, he got drunk, _again_ , and I found him making out with Jean at the door in the middle of the night.”

Levi couldn’t speak more on the topic even if he wanted to with how fast Hange’s response was.

“Aw! See! He doesn’t want you to go!” the crazed woman exclaimed, an infuriating dreamy look etched onto her features. “Drunk words _do_ equal to sober thoughts you know!”

“You’re missing the point here,” Levi said flatly. “Even if that is true, then wouldn’t Jean be the one he truly desires?”

“Hey, hey, now, _dear_ , I said drunk _words_ , not _actions_.” Hange was waving it off like this was a conversation about the weather, and Levi didn’t know whether it irritated him that she wasn’t taking this seriously or glad that he was able to speak about such matters so casually with her.

Hange’s expression then turned serious, fingers pushing up her glasses. “You will never know what he feels for you unless you take the risk to find out.”

Levi almost wanted to give a bitter laugh at her words, the constantly carefree Hange giving him love advice, on a _boy_ he had been taking care of for ten years, but her solemn face made him stop. He looked away, suddenly losing his appetite despite having his favourite noodles in front of him. His gut was lightly churning, twisting and turning within him, a reminder that the words of his friend rang true.

He still refused to acknowledge them though.

Levi’s mother used to love telling him fairy tales. They didn’t have a lot; his shitty father knocked up his mom and walked away, just like that, leaving her to take care of Levi alone. Despite the countless hardships she had to go through, his mother worked with utmost diligence to ensure that he had food on his plate, clothes on his back, and a roof over his head. Even when her fatigue and exhaustion lined her eyes, she would tell him these stories with a sparkle in her light-coloured gaze. As a child, he would still imagine himself in those fictional tales his mother told. Levi would be in a loving family in the presence of both of his parents. His mother would be living a merry life as opposed to the miserable one she had to endure. He would find someone he loved, get married, and live happily fucking ever after.

This was reality though, and he had given up on such notions in life long ago. Life was not kind, and it was especially not kind to Levi, and he knew that.

That was why he still refused to acknowledge.

When Levi stayed silent for too long, Hange opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the ringing of his phone. A small frown pinched his eyebrows before he fished the device out of his pocket, checking the caller ID with mild surprise before answering, his voice impassive as he did so.

“Mr. Yeager.”

Hange’s eyes widened just the slightest in shock. Though Levi did not show it, he was just as surprised. Despite the hard-working man Grisha Yeager was, he had succumbed to the allurement of alcohol since the passing of his late wife. Liquor and work became all that mattered to him. He would lock himself in his office at work, and never show his face to Levi or his own son. Even contact with the man was scarce, so for him to take the initiative to call Levi definitely spiked his curiosity.

“Ah, Levi. I know it’s your day off, but I’ll be coming home tonight. Would you mind preparing dinner for Eren and I?”

For once in a long time, Grisha’s voice was clear and enunciated, unlike the slurred words he would usually give, and Levi found himself dumbstruck for a moment before he managed to regain his composure.

“Of course, sir. Dinner will be ready by seven o’clock.”

“Good, I will see you then.”

The call ended there, and Levi stared at his phone for a little before slipping it back into his pocket, standing up. “I have to go,” he simply stated, and began packing up his half-eaten noodles, planning to bring it back to stick into the fridge rather than wasting it.

“Dang! It’s been so long since I’ve heard of that guy! Almost forgot he existed!” Hange was gaping at Levi like a fish, eyes glittering in a way that made Levi want to gouge them out.

“Don’t look at me like that. And he publishes your books, I think you should remember your own publisher.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.” Hange waved off Levi’s remarks yet again and smiled broadly. “Well, my favourite midget, thanks for cleaning my beautiful rathole! I shall await your next visit!”

Levi scowled deeply at the name while he was putting on his outerwear. He turned to leave, takeout box in one hand, and heard Hange call out incredulous words as he went to shut the door.

“And don’t forget what I said about Eren!”

He gritted his teeth, staring at the closed door for a split second longer before walking away.

_I know, shitty glasses. I know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hange finally makes an appearance! Let me know what you think of the chapter :)
> 
> You can find me on these platforms:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/inxomniacwriter/)  
> [Tumblr](https://inxomniacwriter.tumblr.com/)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah I am so sorry for being late on my update again (I feel like I owe you guys so many updates now...). But now that it is June, I have more time to write, and will hopefully make do on that double update that I have previously promised in the near future. As always, thank you for all the kudos, comments, subscriptions etc., they all mean so much to me. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

When Eren woke up, he was once again greeted by the slam of Thor’s hammer against his skull. By now, he was convinced that the Norse god really did hold a grudge against him. He had been making visits to Eren’s cranium for the second day in a roll now, after all. Eren should probably feel special and honoured, to be visited not once, but twice by such a formidable deity. Yet, he was not. _Definitely_ not. Thor’s hammer was an opponent that Eren could not, and _would not_ beat, and he would prefer for it to remain that way.

 _No more booze for a while then, I guess,_ he thought bitterly, trying to press his cheek deeper into the pillow with a groan. His arms were still tucked underneath it, body turned onto his stomach and legs splayed out across his mattress. It was a wonder that he did not manage to suffocate himself with the position that he had slept in, face buried throughout the night.

 _But we all know that isn't true,_ the brat in him then muttered back, once again proving Levi’s nickname for him suiting.

_Levi._

Eren wanted to say that he did not remember much from the previous night.

But sadly he did.

He remembered making out with horseface against his own damned front door, teeth clacking and saliva drooling and all, and he also remembered that it was done out of spite at his own confusing thoughts more than anything. In simple words, he had been ready to roll into bed with his _high school ex_ out of everyone just to try to forget his ridiculous thinking and attempt to find familiarity in something that he knew well, _someone_ that he knew well.

He tried to use his high school ex as an escape from reality.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ Eren muttered inwardly, eyes screwed shut and jaws clenched tight.

He remembered hearing that soft, sleepy mumble of his name echoing from Levi’s lips. He remembered how his touch had turned hostile to shove Jean’s body away as if on instinct, felt the guilt flow into his very being as if he was doing something wrong, when he _was not_. But most of all, he remembered how Levi had stood there staring at the pair before stalking back into his own room without as much as a “you’re home”, even when Eren had chased after.

Suffice to say, he had asked Jean to leave, did not miss the disappointment flitting across his friend’s face and the slam of the front door when he left, but Eren could not bring himself to care, not when he knew Levi was upset. What specifically he was upset about, Eren did not know, and didn’t know if he would like to know. He also could not have processed the situation properly in his mind while he was drunk as a skunk.

He had ended up sitting against Levi’s door, knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, listening to any sounds coming from the room but was greeted with complete silence. He had even fallen asleep at one point, but had managed to somehow rid himself of his clothes and drag himself back to bed.

Eren did not know how long he had been laying in bed for, but he finally sat up from his dozing, deciding that he had had enough sleep and it was not going to come to him anytime soon. It wasn’t like it wasn’t expected, but he still felt surprised at the glass of water along with two pills sitting on his nightstand. However, there was no witty sticky note printed with small jabs at him, and he found himself furrowing his eyebrows just ever so slightly at that. For some reason, it made him feel a bit dejected.

After swallowing down the pills with more water and force than necessary, trying to free his throat from the intense soreness and scratchiness, he wandered into the bathroom to take a quick shower, turning the water warmer than usual to soothe his pounding headache.

When he had finished drying off and getting dressed in a simple black short-sleeved T-shirt and pajama pants, his phone was buzzing on his nightstand. Without checking the caller ID, he answered it flopping down onto his bed as he did so.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Eren. It is a bit late for you to pick up a call from me, but better late than never, I guess.”

Eren’s eyes widened comically as he immediately shot up in bed, bring his legs up to cross them. It had been a long time since he had heard from his dad, let alone being able to hear words that were not only unencumbered by slurring, but clearly enunciated and eloquent.

“Dad.”

“I am calling to let you know that I will be home for tonight. I would have tried to give you more time in advance as a bit heads up, but you would not pick up until now. It is already six in the evening, as I am sure you are already aware of, and dinner had been scheduled for seven, so wash up if you had been in bed until now.”

_Six fucking o’clock? How long had I been asleep for?_

Eren did not know how to answer that, because he wasn’t even sure when he had managed to stumble home with Jean. His mind also wasn’t working too well to process the entire situation; he was still shocked from the fact that his dad had taken the initiative to call him, and even deciding to _eat at home_. This was something that never happened anymore, and it took him a little more than a moment to actually provide a response.

“Yeah, uh, sure. I’ll, uh, see you at seven then.”

Eren tried to act nonchalant; did not want to let his father know that he was feeling just the tiniest bit of nerves. It had been well over half a year since he had last seen the man, well over a year since they had both sat down together at the same table for dinner. The last time that his father was even seen remotely sober was during his high school graduation, and that had been well over two years ago. He wasn’t even sure what to expect from his own father.

After ending the call, Eren had just begun to realize that Levi must had come into his room while he was asleep, despite it being the man’s day off. Not only because of the pills that were left on his nightstand, looking around his room, he found it remotely cleaner than it had been the previous night. His clothes that had been left on the floor were picked up, scattered items across his desk tidied up, stationary placed back into their holders and papers slipped back into binders and folders.

Eren felt like he needed to apologize for the previous night. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he just felt the need to, felt that he was in the wrong, despite not knowing why. He made his way down the stairs, towel still hanging around the nape of his neck to keep the water from his partially dried hair dripping down his back. It did not take him long to look for his caretaker, a delicious smell wafting into his nose as he found the man standing at the kitchen stove. The petite raven had on a black apron over his usual uniform, one hand on the handle of a pan while the other is lifting a small spoon to his slightly puckered lips. He lightly blew onto the sauce then tipped it back into his mouth, letting out a soft satisfied hum to himself that Eren found incredibly endearing. Eren was just standing at the doorway to the kitchen, almost lost in a stupor over Levi’s graceful movements, before he seemed to realize what he was doing and abruptly cleared his throat. Levi’s elegant movements of fluttering around the kitchen space suddenly froze, shoulders drawing up tensed and arms stopping midway of reaching up to open one of the higher cupboards. The rise on his tiptoes slowly descended back onto the ground and he turned to face Eren, features impassive as always. Eren thought it was his own imagination, _probably_ his own imagination, but Levi seemed to look even colder than usual, midnight blue eyes that shone silver seemingly _colder_ than usual.

“Um, hi.”

Levi raised an eyebrow before turning back around to take what he needed, three porcelain plates, and set them down onto the counter. As he did so, he spoke, back facing Eren all the while.

“Hi to you too. What do you want?”

Eren took in a deep breath, and it caught in his throat. Another moment was needed before the air was able to leave his lungs again. When it did, the oxygen that felt more like poison in the caverns of his mouth rushed out like a tidal wave, a tsunami, rather.

There were no insults. No chiding of waking up so late into the evening. No scolding of drinking himself silly. No reprimanding of almost bedding someone while Levi was still in the house — his high school ex that he had spent hours on end spouting shit about to Levi nonetheless. For reasons unknown to himself, Eren felt almost uncomfortable at the lack of verbal slurs from his caretaker, and he almost missed it, even if he had to be constantly called a “shitty brat” or any terms of the like.

Levi was in the middle of finishing what looked to be mashed potatoes when Eren finally managed to gather his guts to make the apology. Even then, he wanted to punch himself in the face for how half-arsed and hesitant it sounded.

“Um...look Levi, I’m sorry. About...about yesterday, y’know.”

The raven did not turn to look at Eren, but having known the caretaker for so long, despite being oblivious to most things, Eren could still differentiate subtle distinctions in Levi’s body language. Just like the ever so smallest way his body seemed to go rigid for the barest of moments before softening again.

“For what?” Levi asked after a moment.

“For almost fucking Jean while you’re here.”

There was that stiffening again.

Another moment of silence.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Eren. This is your own house, your own territory, and I have no say in what you want to do in it.”

_Eren._

“You only use my name when you’re around people you need to act professional for.”

Levi let out a heavy sigh and finally, _finally_ , turned to face Eren. Yet, silver orbs did not find blue-green ones, instead pinpointed on somewhere off to the side of Eren’s body.

“What is your point? I think you are aware that your father is coming home for dinner, and you should be getting ready instead of idling around with this pointless conversation that is going nowhere.”

“Levi, I know you’re mad—”

“I’m not.”

Eren reeled back in surprise at the glare that was now fixated on him. In all his years of being Eren’s caretaker, Eren had never seen the man look as genuinely hostile, towards _Eren_ at that. Sure, Eren knew Levi had his moments towards others, sometimes when they talked about politics over dinner, but never towards _Eren_.

“I-I’ll go, and get ready.”

Eren did not know how to deal with the situation, so he ran away, like he always did, like he did all those years ago.

 

_— Loyalty —_

 

Eren ended up standing in his bathroom and staring at his own reflection for way too long. He had dressed himself in a simple black long-sleeved button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the ends of the shirt tucked into grey slacks like Levi always told him to do so. He had even taken the time to put on a belt. Subconsciously, he was desperate to please his caretaker as much as possible, even when they were gestures as simple as the way he clothed himself. Now, as his mind drifted back and forth from Levi to getting ready, he began coating his fingers _generously_ with hair gel, knowing that it would take quite a hefty amount to hold back his constantly dishevelled bird’s-nest. He combed his digits through the brown locks, hoping to whatever god there was out there, perhaps Thor as he had been making recent visits, that his mane would stay tamed for the rest of the night. After deeming his slicked back strands decent enough, he washed the gel off his hands and slipped on a simple wristwatch then sleek black dress shoes to accompany his outfit. He glanced at the mirror once more to double-check that his appearance was proper enough, and sucked in a deep breath that was released in a heavy sigh before making his way out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

By the time he had reached the bottom of the staircase, the doorbell was ringing. He went to open it, but Levi was quicker, not even sparing Eren a single glance. Levi opened the door, his posture bowed with right hand over his heart and left arm drawn behind his back, gaze fixed onto the ground as he greeted the man behind.

“Welcome home, sir.”

Eren would be lying if he said he was not surprised at the polished looks of his father. Rather than the ragged-looking man he had last seen, the one standing before Eren seemed like a stranger to him. His father’s usually unkempt shoulder-length hair that matched the shade of his own was now neatly combed back. Glasses no longer sat crooked on his nose, and in the place of messy stubbles was a neatly trimmed beard lining along his Cupid’s bow and jaws. Rather than the dishevelled clothing he had worn before, a smooth cloak covered what seemed to be a long trench coat, a cravat peeking out from the collar.

“Eren. How are you doing?” Grisha greeted as he shrugged off his outerwear, to which Levi took along with his briefcase, leaving him in the cravat, a crisp white shirt and black slacks.

“I’m, uh, doing good, dad,” Eren responded, tone more monotonous and hesitant than he had expected from himself. “This is a, uh, pretty surprising visit though. I haven’t seen you in...half a year? At least?” They both walked over to the dining table and sat down across from each other. Levi, having already put away Grisha’s belongings, slid carefully folded napkins over the pair’s laps with fluid movements before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Ah, yes. I apologize for the abruptness for this dinner request, but I have some matters I would like to discuss with you. For now, we shall dine, and catch up on all the time that we have not seen each other.”

The formal and courteous tone that his father took was irking Eren. Last he had seen the man, dinner had ended in chaos, both having too much to drink and too many unspoken words. Levi had ended up dragging Eren home, while his father’s secretary had done the same vice versa, but instead, back to the office.

Levi had reappeared with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine, one of Grisha’s favourites, and just when Eren thought his night could not bring him anymore astonishment, Grisha held a hand up, refusing the liquor. The bewilderment that Eren felt reflected on Levi’s face, just a soft flitting across his features, but it vanished as soon as it appeared.

“Thank you, but I am quite alright with water, Levi, and Eren is not that big of a drinker.”

Eren almost wanted to chuckle bitterly to himself.

_Yeah...about that...this makes two drunk nights and two hangovers in a row…_

Levi merely gave a small polite bow and left. Eren could not help the way his gaze pinned onto petite man’s backside, eyes slowly travelling down to the way fitted slacks stretched over the raven’s bottom and lingering there until Grisha spoke again.

“Also, Levi, it would be good for you to dine with us as well.”

If Levi was yet again surprised, he did not show it, simply paused to tip his head politely, and giving a “yes sir”.

Dinner was suspiciously normal, so to speak, and seeing his father was never _normal_ to Eren. Grisha talked about his own medical research and progress in expanding the company, as well as asked Eren questions on the typical topics. School, friends, occasional work from the company. Any of the like. While Levi sat next to Grisha quietly, not meeting Eren’s gaze and only lifting his head to answer a question when asked one. Yet, Eren found himself spending more than half of the dinner staring at the raven, wondering if Levi was mad or if something had happened to cause the odd behaviour. As Levi was collecting their eating utensils, the hunch that Eren had about his father being up to something proved true.

“Eren, I have arranged a matchmaking for you.”

Eren’s blood froze in his veins as his focus on Levi snapped to his father, Caribbean orbs wide with disbelief.

“You _what_?”

“A matchmaking. She is a lovely young lady who is daughter to one of my very important business partners. If you two are to be married, it would not only bind our companies closer, but you two could very well become iconic business partners in the near future, and the heir that you produce should become glorious above all in not only our industry, but the economy of the world.”

Eren was silent for a moment before his father’s words seemed to hit him. Cold blood steamed in his vessels as it boiled and burned beneath his skin, and the words spilled past the barricades that were his teeth before he could even begin to think about stopping himself.

“Who in the _fuck_ does arranged marriages anymore? Fucking _matchmakings_? This is the _twenty-first_ century, not the _fucking twentieth_. This is bullshit, dad. I don’t need you to decide who I’m going to fucking marry.”

Grisha’s face grew stern at that, if not tinged with a dust of fury.

“Eren, you _will_ watch the language you are using in front of me, and watch that tone,” Grisha lectured in calm ferocity. Eren bit the insides of his cheeks to stop any more profanities from escaping and fisted his hands tightly under the table as his father continued. “You are twenty years old as of now, third year in university, expected to begin your practice of taking over the company sooner rather than later—”

“I _am_ already practicing! I’ve been doing all the work that you’ve assigned for me!”

Eren shut up at the glare that his father shot him.

“—and you _will_ be attending this year’s Christmas gathering. You need to start getting used to being around the business partners of our company, and learn how to converse with each and every one of them.”

Eren rolled his eyes, over-exaggerating the motion. Every year, the company would hold multiple parties, ranging from Christmas to New Year’s to simply parties on weekends throughout the year. Invitees included partners, shareholders and suppliers of the company, authors that the company published for, editors of said authors, doctors, and more. Though having been invited before, Eren had never attended a single one of these parties, giving multiple excuses such as school work or school projects, any of the like just so he could avoid the hazard.

“You will be meeting your prospective spouse at the party, and you _will_ do everything in your power to get along with her. Not just her, but with everyone. Do you understand me?”

When Eren did not reply, Grisha let out a sigh, a heavy sigh, that seemed to have sat in his lungs for days on end and was just waiting to be relieved.

“Eren, listen to me. You are so close to finishing university, you really need to start thinking about your future, which is to inherit the company. In order to do so, you need to adapt to what your future working environment would shape into.” Grisha stood up and grabbed his belongings that were already placed on the chair beside him, redressing himself in the outerwear that he had taken off. “For now, I will let you sleep on it, but this is just some food for thought. The Christmas party is arranged on Christmas Day. I will call you the night before the party, and will arrange for a ride to pick us up. Please prepare yourself in these three weeks before then. Levi, you will also accompany us. I will see you then, Eren.”

Eren merely heard the front door shut. Though his father had left, a tense silence remained in the wake of his presence. Eren stood up from the table abruptly and wandered into his bathroom, glaring into the sink and gripping the edges of the countertop. His spine felt stiff. His jaws hurt from clenching them so tightly for so long. His knuckles were paling more than they had ever before, almost like the flesh and skin would start splitting open any moment. A cloud of dizziness was weaving through his head, and his chest felt as if a blade had been wrenched in between his ribs, cutting into his lungs and tearing his flesh open. Waiting for his blood to leak into his internal organs. Waiting for him to drown in his very own lifeline.

He suddenly had the strong urge to hit something.

_A matchmaking? You have got to be fucking kidding me. I don’t even fucking like girls._

Eren was so lost in his own thoughts that the soft knock at the door startled him enough for his body to jerk backwards. He whipped around with his guard up, only to relax to see Levi standing there.

The petite raven was avoiding his gaze, but his tone was soft and warm when he spoke, something that Eren wanted to relish in, especially now, when he needed familiarity in someone he trusted.

“Are you okay?”

Eren wanted to sigh, to scream, to sob. But instead he held that warm grey gaze with his own when it finally lifted to meet his. The look on his face must had spoken for itself, because Levi was stepping forward and reaching up slightly to press his fingers into Eren’s hair, and Eren wanted to collapse into Levi and never leave the safety of his arms.

“Undress me,” Eren mumbled, feeling his shoulders droop in defeat.

Levi did not say anything, but Eren heard the buckle of his belt being undone. Watched the zipper of his pants slide down. Felt the cool, slender fingers slowly unbuttoning his shirt, nimble fingertips brushing against his skin as his shirt was slipped off his shoulders.

“Levi, what do I do?”

Levi was silent for a moment, but the words poured out his mouth, Eren wanted to cry at the promise that dripped from them.

“You choose for yourself whichever decision you will regret the least, and no matter what choice you make, I will always be by your side every step of the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
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	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the people who read chapter eight before I had edited it, the Christmas party is now on Christmas Day instead.
> 
> I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of this chapter, so I might go back to edit it. But for now, I am fine with it, so I will leave it as it is.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos, comments and subscriptions etc. Especially for everyone who commented, I always enjoy reading your comments, so really, thank you :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Eren thought it was weird.

It certainly _felt_ weird.

Levi’s face was inches away from his own. The proximity of Levi was so close that Eren could feel warm breath fanning against his lips, could smell the mint radiating from it. Slightly hooded gunmetal orbs were fixated onto his eyes. Though impassive, the gaze that held Eren’s was ensnaring, captivating; a cage embellished with gold that was waiting to trap its prey, and Eren would gladly be held prisoner. He had the sudden urge to move, to look away. But in that moment, he could not, because he was already victim to the enclosure of that midnight blue sea. It took all of his willpower to tear his eyes away. When he finally did though, his cheeks warmed, flushed, and he was sure he was sent straight to heaven.

Caribbean gaze trailed along Levi’s figure, from the way his crotch pressed against Eren’s, the way his thighs straddled Eren’s, to the way his torso was angled forward, the way his collarbones were exposed. It took Eren a moment to register the fact that Levi was only in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, different from his usual uniform, and he could not help but stare at the clavicles that were tempting him from opened shirt collar. The sinful sight he was granted made it take more than a moment for Eren to register the tactile signals his brain was receiving.

Cold fingers were pressed against his forehead, and he could feel Levi’s weight pressing onto his legs. But what was absolute pure bliss to him was when he distinctly felt the raven’s plump bottom press down onto his thighs, the round globes warm against his muscles.

“Eren, you have a fever.”

Eren ignored the words, and he could not stop his movements even if he wanted to. Before his mind could comprehend what he was doing, his arms had snaked around Levi’s waist, fingers finding the supple flesh of the smaller man’s rump. Eren could hear it, knew he did, the subtle hitch of air catching in Levi’s throat, and he could not help but let a small smirk break across his lips. He had always loved watching the raven’s reactions, hearing the raven’s reactions, knowing that he had caused those reactions. If that did not flare up his ego, he did not know what would. It encouraged him to further his ministrations on the lithe body presented to him, greedy hands kneading at pliant flesh, gluttonous ears yearning for more titillating moans.

Eren wanted to devour the man sitting atop him.

He waited for Levi to snap. To scold him. To chide him. To reprimand him. But none of that came. If anything, Levi’s stare glinted with a mischief, before Eren felt slender digits sliding under his own shirt and up his abdominal muscles, fingertips tracing the ridges between each bundle of tissues. His eyelids fluttered shut against his control.

Eren was vehemently convinced that he was going to die.

“Eren, you have to wake up.”

Eren felt confused at that. His eyebrows furrowed, and his fingers stopped their motions. He glanced up at Levi, only to find the raven no longer seated in his lap, and felt a surge of violent chill wrack through his body at the loss warmth.

“Levi?”

“Eren, wake the fuck up!”

Eren woke with a gasp tearing into his windpipe and a jolt ripping through his body. He looked around frantically, trying decipher the situation that he was in, when a brutal swell of waves began rushing back to him.

Sitting in the abnormally crowded library, he was doing his last-minute cramming for the final exam before the sweet freedom of the following winter break would grace him. Or at least, that was what he was supposed to be doing, yet he had somehow fallen asleep and his mind had somehow decided to conjure that dream. He turned to see Jean seated beside him, knowing that his companion was the one to wake him from the land of euphoria when he saw the light brown eyes roll.

“You should _not_ be falling asleep when our exam is in under two hours.”

“Uh, thanks for, waking me.”

Eren was _definitely_ convinced that he was going to die.

 _Can’t believe I basically had a wet dream while studying in public,_ he grumbled internally.

He risked a glance down at his pants and almost groaned out loud at the tent that they had formed at his groin. He considered himself lucky that he did not fully ejaculate and completely soil his underwear in the school library of all places, while he was supposed to be studying for the exam in two hours of all times.

Eren would be lying if he said that was his first dirty dream of Levi, because it certainly was not. He could lie to himself and others for as long as he wanted to, but that did nothing to change the fact that those fantasies still occurred for years since he had hit puberty.

It was almost pathetic, but he could not do much about it either.

It had been several weeks since the dinner with his father, and it was now the last day before his winter break. He had been crammed with school work, exams, more work from his father, and the dreaded Christmas party was looming over him. With the overload of stress, Eren was more than ready at most times than not to toss what morals he had left straight into the trash and use Levi as his stress relief material. He could not even begin to count the amount of wet dreams he had experienced with Levi being the main focus and the number of times he evoked erotic images of the man for wanking material. More times than not, he found himself close to just directly grabbing Levi’s ever so inviting backside.

But then again, Levi would probably send him halfway across the country with a kick for even brushing any part of his body against it.

But then _again_ , it was terribly difficult for him to resist ravishing the man, because anyone would agree with him on the fact that his caretaker was downright _sexy_ , and he was tempted to just ask the man if he could bed him.

Neither Levi or Eren spoke about the matchmaking and the Christmas party. There were only several days left until the party, and he still did not know any details of it and still had not tried on the proper tuxedo that he had gotten tailored a week ago. Frustratingly to Eren, the party fell on Levi’s birthday, yet that subject was also never touched upon.

The pair did not speak about the way Eren had acted either in the past few weeks. He took every chance he could to distract himself from the doom that he was about to face sooner rather than later. He would hole himself up in his room. He would spend time on making Levi’s birthday present. He would crack more sexual jokes around Levi when they were around each other. He would even go as far as being slightly more touchy towards his caretaker.

Of course, he never got away without a scolding.

But of course, it also did not escape his notice that the scolding had ceased, and the raven was minding his so-called innocent touches less and less.

Eren decided to push away his filthy thoughts for now and resume scribbling down notes furiously, as there was no point in dwelling on them.

As time got closer to the exam, Eren grew increasingly exhausted, and he noticed that Jean was not doing much better than he was. Poor bastard’s complexion was looking paler and paler as the seconds and minutes ticked by, a countdown to when the pair would have to start heading to the exam hall. The piles of textbooks and worksheets that were sitting in front of them both appeared to be mountains of malice staring back at them.

“Hah, you know what? Business is easy, right? Right?”

Eren did not answer. Jean’s tone sounded defeated and despairing, and Eren saw Jean’s shoulders slump even further out of the corner of his eye but was careful not to spare even a look at his companion in fear of distracting himself — as if he did not have enough distraction already with thoughts of a certain petite raven intruding his mind.

Jean continued in his rant, “I can do this. Business is easy. _Said no one fucking ever_. Whoever the _fuck_ said this course is easy can stick their head into the gutter and eat their own entrails, because this is _not_ easy.

Eren raised an eyebrow, but did not look up from his work as he spoke, “That is a bit too graphic, isn’t, horseface? And if you really think it’s that hard, maybe try focusing on your studies instead of rambling like a madman over there.”

Jean returned Eren’s look with the raise of an eyebrow of his own. “ _You’re_ one to talk, Mr. _I Sleep When I Have an Exam in Two Hours_. Actually, _less_ than two hours, suicidal bastard. It’s like you’re asking to be failed already.”

Eren could not help but scowl at that, because he knew Jean was right.

“Let’s just get this over and done with,” was the mutter he gave in response, and he heard Jean supply him with an obnoxiously loud laugh.

 

_—Loyalty—_

 

“Cheers!”

Eren wanted to snort at the loud exclamation from Jean as he clinked their mugs of beer together. They had finished their final exam before the winter break, were officially on holiday, and were now sitting at Sasha’s family izakaya for some celebratory drinks. While Jean was on his fifth or sixth beer of the night, Eren was still on his second, and it was no wonder that he was from the recent events that had emerged from being induced with intoxication.

“I really shouldn’t be drinking,” Eren complained in a grumble. “Last time I did, I made out with you, and fuck knows what kind of diseases you’ve infected me with.”

Jean let out an offended scoff at that, slamming his empty mug onto the table. “Hey! First off, we are leaving after this anyways, so loosen up you shit.” To prove his point, he started putting on his jacket and scarf, where Eren followed suit. “Second! I am _clean_. I take the test every year! And third! Don’t even act like you didn’t enjoy it at all you little shit. I can’t believe you kicked me out after that as well! I was looking for some good sex.” His tone was aggrieved when he spoke, words slightly slurred from the alcohol that was beginning to lay its grip onto his system.

“As if I would allow myself to fuck my high school ex,” Eren shot back, looking at his unfinished beer sitting on the table with distaste. The mug stared back at him almost wickedly, and it hauled unpleasant memories at him.

He knew the truth was that he had almost allowed himself to bed his high school ex, just to leave behind and forget his problems. But he was not about to admit it to anyone, or to himself as a matter of fact. Just remembering it made him feel sick as he remembered the way it had upset Levi.

Jean knew him too well, however.

“Oh, let’s face it, you almost did.”

Eren did not say anything to it, except to narrow his eyes at the beer that was scowling at him and taking a final swig of the bitter beverage to finish it off. The two walked out of the restaurant afterwards, Eren giving a small wave to Sasha who was moving around the restaurant busily as they stepped into the chilly December air and shut the door to the izakaya. When he did not respond to Jean’s comment at all, Jean continued on with his blabbering.

“Oh well, whatever. At least making out with you made you stop talking about Levi. You really need to stop talking about Levi whenever you get drunk, you’ve been doing that since high school. You talk about him enough when you’re sober.”

Eren’s attention snapped to Jean at that. “I _what_?”

Jean looked at him incredulously, eyes wide and brows raised. His face was already a dark shade of red, and Eren could bet that it had less to do with the restaurant heating and more to do with the alcohol consumption. “What? You didn’t know? That’s one of the reasons why I fuck you into oblivion when I top.” Eren’s brows raised at the lack of filter on Jean’s speech, and the latter covered his mouth and tilted his gaze away. “I get jealous too, okay?”

Eren let out a loud scoff, wanted to cross his arms over his chest in an indignant manner, but instead dug his hands into his pockets as an effort to keep them warm. “Oh, _please_. The reason why we broke up in the first place was ‘cause _you_ didn’t think it was working. Fucking dumbass horseface.”

“That’s because all you’d ever talk about is Levi!” Jean exclaimed, mild hostility dripping from his words. “Well, that was, part of it. And I could never say anything about Levi because if I _did_ say anything about him you’d end up a raging mess and storm off! And of _course_ it wasn’t working! Do you even remember how many arguments we had jus’ ‘cause our personalities clashed? ”

“Can you stop dragging Levi into this?” Eren hissed, his eyes narrowing in vexation. He did not like the way Jean said Levi’s name: the way he sneered it as if it tasted foul in his mouth and repulsive on his lips. “Levi has nothing to do with this. He has done nothing wrong.”

Jean threw his hands up in exasperation. “He has _everything_ to do with this! Whatever the fuck kind of attachment you have to him will do you more harm than good, because you act like you’re in love with him. I _know_ , because _I_ was the one dating you.”

Eren did not say anything. Not because he did not have anything to say. But because he had everything to say and too much too say, and he feared that he would snap, snap at who he considered to be his best friend.

Instead, he closed his eyes, inhaled a deep breath, counted to ten in his head, before opening his eyes and exhaling the deep lungful of oxygen he had been holding in. He met Jean’s gaze, and found soft guilt lining his irises.

“Look,” Eren paused, taking a moment to piece the words together in his head, “why are we even talking about this? We broke up when high school ended, and decided for a fresh start as friends. Why are you bringing this up now?”

Eren knew Jean was heading in the direction of being drunk, _knew_ Jean was speaking nonsense and would probably forget everything that had been said. But Eren could not ignore the sobriety that seemed to glint in his pupils.

“I don’t like Levi,” Jean stated, and Eren opened his mouth to interrupt, but Jean was quicker to hush him with his next words. “Never did. Because all your attention was always focused on him.”

Jean heaved in a deep breath, and Eren had enough courtesy to let him continue.

“I know I had a couple drinks. I know I would never say this to you when I’m completely alcohol-free. And I _know_ this might not be what you want to hear, but—”

Jean paused, and his shoulders slumped in defeat, but he kept his gaze on Eren as they strolled along the pavement.

“I want to give us another shot. I liked you. Hell, I loved you, and I think I still do. I haven’t been able to find anyone like you, and I don’t think I will. But I know I can treat you right this time around. So...will you...go out with me again?”

They both stopped walking. Jean was no longer looking at Eren, but kept his eyes on the floor. Eren could not tear his away from Jean.

Eren had known Jean for years, but this was the most unexpected turn their relationship could take.

When Jean risked a glance at Eren’s face, Eren saw his face fall, and knew his own must had been enough of an answer for Jean. Still, he accompanied his response with words.

“I’m sorry, Jean.” His voice was a soft whisper when he spoke, and he felt guilt rip through his lungs to steal his breath from him, as compensation for all the damage he had caused and would cause. Eren swallowed down the lump of culpability that had lodged itself into his throat, and forced himself to continue, because that was the least that his best friend deserved.

“I’m sorry if I ever hurt you when we were dating, and I’m sorry that I can’t return your feelings. I don’t...I don’t feel that way for you anymore.”

Jean was silent, and the absence of sound engulfed them, before he turned his back towards Eren and let out a loud laugh.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that, you bastard.”

His tone held no resentment, only what Eren recognized to be longing, yearning.

_Desperation._

“Jean—”

Eren reached his hand out, but was waved off.

“I’m fine. Let’s see if we can catch up over the holidays, yeah? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if we don’t though. See you later, blockhead.”

With that, Jean was walking away, and Eren did not miss the way that his arm reached up to rub at his eyes furiously.

Eren dropped his hand back to his side, and could only watch.

_I upset a lot of people, don't I?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter!
> 
> You can find me on these platforms:  
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	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long-ago promised double update is finally here! We've reached a double-digit chapter as well! As always, thank you for all your comments and kudos etc. I love reading your comments, so feel free to drop one if you wish to! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Time had passed by quicker than Levi realized. Before long, it was already the twenty-fourth of December, and there were less than two full days left until the Yeager Inc. annual Christmas party. During the three weeks prior, due to winter break fast approaching, Eren had gotten piled with work and exams from university. He had stopped spending as much time lounging around the penthouse, and he was rarely seen back from the library before its closing time. When he _was_ back at the apartment, he would hole up in the study for hours on end. The study was generally used infrequently, but Eren had made a comment about it making it much easier for him to concentrate on his tasks. He had even stopped coming out to eat, and Levi had been bringing Eren’s meals to him.

When they _were_ around each other though, Levi found Eren to be increasingly sexual, and touchy, so to speak. The brat thought it was discreet as well, but it certainly was not to Levi. Eren would crack vulgar jokes that Levi would smack him in the back of the head for, and the so-called “slick” innocent touches that Eren would initiate did not escape his notice either.

They also did not help with Levi’s inner predicament about Eren.

If Levi bent over to wipe the floors, Eren would brush his crotch against Levi’s rear. If Levi leaned up to stack plates into cupboards, Eren would press his chest against Levi’s back. If Levi turned around to to get more ingredients from the fridge while he was cooking, Eren would be right there, Levi walking straight into his body.

Levi could not decide whether it was annoying or endearing.

While he hated Eren for confusing him further, he loved Eren for granting him these small moments of physical contact that he secretly enjoyed. He would never admit the velvet delight these encounters brought him.

They really did not help with Levi’s inner predicament though.

Since Eren had been so occupied with university, Levi had aided Eren as much as he possibly could with the work Grisha had been sending. It not only lifted some weight off Eren’s shoulders, but also benefited Levi in the aspect of serving as a distraction for him to avoid drowning and suffocating in his own thoughts. Other than Grisha’s work as a diversion, he had busied himself with housework and even spent a considerably large amount of time in the home gym.

Neither Levi or Eren mentioned anything about the matchmaking, or the upcoming Christmas party. Levi knew that Eren had not even had the time to try on his newly tailored suit yet. He had also become aware that Eren did not know any details of the party, but he was hoping to change both aspects present day.

Eren had gone home incredibly late the previous night. When Levi raised questions, he received no answers, and merely a statement of “it was okay” when Levi had asked about the exam. Eren had then proceeded to head straight into his room. Levi thought it was weird; Eren was a loudmouthed brat, and would probably frolick in the fact that he was finally on holiday — take pleasure in the sweet taste of freedom before he had to face his responsibilities during the Christmas party. Yet, he had done none of that, and Levi was hoping to dig some answers from him.

It was midday. Levi had already spent his morning planning around what needed to be done. The Christmas party would be extended to the New Year’s party of the company. Levi was sure Eren did not know this yet, but Grisha had informed him that Eren was to be expected of spending time with his future partner during the almost week-long gap between the two parties. Since both parties were held in a city close by, rather than heading home in between, both Levi and Eren would be staying in a hotel; they would be leaving on the morning of the twenty-fifth and would not be back until after New Year’s, Levi had already began cleaning the apartment and packing his own belongings for the short trip. Levi would have to help Eren with the fitting of his tuxedo, and pray that it would fit just right. If not, he prudently left some leeway in his schedule for him to fix whatever needed to be fixed. Levi would then have to brief Eren on the details of the dinner party, and help him pack a suitcase for the trip. Levi would then ready dinner, and finally, make utmost impeccable preparations for the next day as they were leaving early in the morning. Asscrack of dawn, if he was to be exact.

If Eren was dreading the party, he was not the only one.

Levi tried to remain as professional as possible, but there was only so much he could do about professionalism before he reached the extent where it started trickling into the gutter, especially when it came to the matter of feelings. As emotionless as he tended to appear, unfortunately, he still felt them, and was still subconsciously aware of them even when he did not dare to admit them.

He knew he had to be supportive of the decision that Grisha was making. After all, Grisha was ultimately still his main employer. He knew he was only an employee serving the Yeager family. Nothing more or less to either Grisha, or Eren, and he should never let his personal life get in the way of work. He knew he was to be expected to do anything in his power to aid the Yeager family in securing success. That would include encouraging Eren to interact with his destined spouse in the best interest of his future.

But no matter how much Levi told himself that his own emotions would not come in the way of work, he could not _help it_.

He remembered his stomach dropping when Grisha broke the news. Fate had buckled an even thicker collar around his neck this time, crimson steel and unbreakable. Just as he was back on his hands and knees crawling, it was cruel enough to give a violent yank to the leash scratching the nape of his neck, sending him sprawling back into unruly ruins. Battered him with bruises, scraped him with gashes. Black and blue, silver and red. His lungs might as well had been slashed open with a hunting knife, for he was the hunted and the prey. He had remained stone-faced, however. Refused to reveal his torn skin and ripped flesh. He had always known whether or not he would eventually come to terms with his own feelings, Eren Yeager was never destined to be his, so it should have been no surprise.

Except, it _was_ a surprise.

Levi did not know if Eren had noticed, or if he did, whether he cared. Since that dinner, Levi had tried — _he really did_ — with utmost effort to stay away from Eren. But how could he when the brat was doing all of _those_ things to him? It only furthered his problematic circumstances. He tried, but he could not, and that was all there was to it. If anything, it was simply a waste of time to try to suddenly change his habits around Eren.

The brat really was not helping Levi at all.

Eren had asked Levi to stay with him that night, that night of the dinner with Grisha. Levi had undressed Eren then folded his clothes while he was in the shower. Eren had laid in his bed while Levi sat next to him, the pair sitting in silence and Levi leaving only when Eren had finally fallen into a deep slumber. Levi knew the entire situation bothered Eren more than he was willing show. Deep down, Levi knew, a part of Eren was still the scared and angry boy who held a harsh grip of spite towards anyone and anything in the world.

 _All the more reason why this is wrong,_ Levi thought as a reminder of his conflicting feelings towards the teal-eyed boy flitted through his mind.

Levi glanced sidelong at the clock. It was already two in the afternoon, and he needed to get his schedule started. Finishing ironing his own three-piece tailcoat suit for the following day, he made his way to Eren’s room, having the courtesy to actually knock now that he did not have to wake the brat violently in caution of being late to classes. When Levi was met with quietude, he opened the door, to find Eren laying on his side browsing through his phone.

In a pair of tight red briefs.

Only.

Levi had seen Eren naked more times than he could count. But recently, it had been different. The more he tried to come to terms with his feelings, the more Eren seemed to affect him, especially in terms of anything remotely sexual or suggestively so. He had had one too many cold showers and lonely sessions with his right hand.

Eren glanced up from the device in his hand, hair mussed and falling around his face disorderly. As if his hair was not messy enough during normal days. He slowly sat up with a soft grunt, almost gingerly. Levi swallowed hard, gaze fixed onto the bulge that seemed to look more protruding in a sitting position. Eren tossed phone down onto the bed and reached his arms up above his head to stretch. Levi swallowed again, watching abdominal muscles ripple under sun-kissed skin.

The brat had to be doing it on purpose to fuck with Levi.

Levi snapped himself out of it, and _thank fucks he did before he did something stupid_.

“Oi, answer when I knock, shitty brat.”

“You never knock,” Eren merely stated, blinking up at his caretaker, innocence lining sea green irises. “I was waiting for you to come get me.”

Levi scoffed and scowled at Eren’s room, then proceeded to pick up the clothing that was scattered on the floor, turning towards the window seat to fold them into a neat stack. “Tch. It’s two in the afternoon and you’re still in bed. Have you even showered? Or brushed your teeth for the matter? You filthy brat.”

Levi felt it. Knew he did. The heat of another’s gaze burning into his skin. He risked a glance he knew was discreet over his shoulder, discovering a not so discreet stare blatantly boring into his ass and a not so discreet tent growing in a certain pair of red underwear. He would scold the brat. He should. He would have a month ago. But he did not.

Because he enjoyed it.

Not that he would ever admit that to himself out loud.

Eren seemed to snap out of whatever dirty thoughts was running through his mind and warily tugged the covers over his hips when Levi turned back around to face him with arms crossed over chest. “For the record,” Eren said indignantly, “I have already brushed my teeth and showered and went through my entire morning routine. I just didn’t feel like getting up.”

“Well, now you have to.” Levi walked towards Eren’s closet to pull out his suit. “Because you have to try this on.”

A loud groan reached Levi’s ears. “But Levi, I don’t want to,” Eren whined, and Levi rolled his eyes at the sheer amount of complaints he would have to deal with for the day. “Can we just skip the party and go somewhere for our own holiday?”

“No can do, brat. Now get the hell up.”

It was with a string of curses and grumbles when Eren finally got up. Levi was laying out the three-piece suit onto the bed when he felt something hard bump into his rear lightly. He spun around, white shirt in hand, and almost jumped out of his skin to find Eren standing _right there_ , close enough to feel warm breath fanning against his face. With an even deeper scowl, he lightly shoved the brat back, receiving a damn cheeky grin in response.

“Turn around, shitty brat.”

Eren did. Levi slipped the shirt onto Eren with its collar flipped up, savouring the short moment of his fingertips brushing against Eren’s skin, smirking when he felt light goosebumps rising on said skin, before instructing Eren to turn back around.

_Two can play the game I guess._

It was wrong. It was so wrong. But what else did Levi have to lose? Eren was going to run off with some young woman to get married soon. It did not matter what he did now. He would remain professional, but he would have his fun at the same time. Even if he could not accept and admit his own feelings, he would admit to himself the fact that he did find the brat attractive, as infuriating as it was. It was only fair to return the treatment that he had been receiving.

His deft fingers quickly buttoned up the shirt and cuffs before he forced Eren to step into the black slacks. Levi tucked the waistband around Eren’s hips over his shirt, zipping it up, buttoning it and looping a belt around it. He skillfully tied a black silk tie around Eren’s neck then flipped the shirt collar down over the soft fabric. He swiftly slipped the charcoal grey waistcoat around Eren’s torso before buttoning it up as well.

“This shit is already uncomfortable, and I haven’t even done anything yet,” Eren protested with a slight degree of petulance as Levi slipped the suit jacket onto his body and buttoned it up. Levi took a step back, partly admiring his handy work, but more so admiring the way the full attire fit on Eren.

“Fits perfect,” was all Levi commented.

A smirk wormed its way onto Eren’s lips and he took a step forward towards the raven. “You think I look good?”

“Tch, you wish.”

_You do._

Levi began undoing Eren’s suit, planning to get it ironed and hung up to pack it in the following morning right before they left to avoid as many creases in the fabric as possible. While he did so, he began relaying the information of the following week to Eren.

“We will be leaving at the asscrack of dawn tomorrow morning, so I will be waking you up early. If you want to, you can skip the shower, because we’ll be going to a hotel anyways.”

“Hotel?” Eren raised both brows at Levi expectantly, for answers.

“Yes. A hotel, deaf brat. The party’s being held at a hotel in the next city over, and we will be staying there for a week.”

“What the fuck? Why?”

Levi paused in unbuttoning Eren’s waistcoat before resuming, focusing his attention on the small round knobs instead of Eren himself. “There will be a New Year’s party soon after on New Year’s Eve, so all the guests who don’t live in the city will most likely be staying at the hotel as well. During that week, you are expected to spend time with your future spouse—”

“ _What?_ ”

Levi finally looked up at Eren’s face. His eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown, lips pressed together in a tight purse. There was an abundance of emotions flashing through his eyes before they settled on anger. Pure and true fury.

“What the fuck is wrong with my dad?” Eren managed to grit through his teeth, and Levi caught a glimpse of Eren’s hands clenching into tight fists by his sides.

“I don’t even fucking like girls, and he expects me to marry one? And _he’s_ picking who _I’m_ marrying? I don’t even know her name. I don’t know her at all for fuck’s sake! I thought it would be a one-time thing where I meet her then we go our separate ways, no matter what anyone says. But now he expects me to _spend time with her_? He can go fuck himself for all I care. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate with university, exams, shit that _he_ piled onto me, and stupid horseface Jean. Now I have _this_ to worry about? I was just looking forward to a nice winter break.”

Levi’s attention spiked slightly at the mention of Jean, a surge of heat striking through his body before he shoved it under lock and key. He had finished undressing Eren as he listened, and was now simply staring up at him.

Eren was breaking. Levi could see it.

His voice had turned desperate near the end of his short rant. His eyes had grown desperate near the end of his short rant. Levi let his impassive features break for a moment, gaze softening on the boy standing in front of him. He took Eren’s hand and gently tugged him towards the bed, pushing him down into a sitting position and fluffing up some pillows to keep his back propped up. Levi sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes never once wavering from Eren despite wanting to move them away. Out of embarrassment, out of self-consciousness, he did not know.

“I told you: you choose for yourself whichever decision you will regret the least. Yes, that is what your father has decided for you. But what have you decided for yourself?”

Eren stared at Levi for a long while, until a laugh dripping with forlorn left his lips. Levi tensed when tanned fingers gripped onto his pale ones, and he looked down at them before tilting his head back up to face Eren. But Eren was not looking at him; was staring off at a point in front of him instead.

“You know, you always know what to say to me, even when I’m being a brat, and all I did was end up upsetting you.”

“Eren—”

“I really am sorry about that night you know. And...”

Levi found out that he did not have to ask much about the previous night after all, as Eren broke his shell on his own, honest words pouring from between his lips easily.

“Jean confessed to me last night.” Before Levi even had time to register it, before the many thoughts and emotions that statement would have brought could even sink in, Eren continued, “I rejected him. He basically said he wanted to give us another chance and uh, well, asked me out. Told me he still loves me and all. I, uh, told him I don’t feel the same, and I really don’t.” Eren let out another laugh then, but this one was just filled with simple sadness. “I guess I really am a brat after all, huh. I end up upsetting a lot of people.” Then a soft genuine smile. “But he did make me realize some things, I guess.”

Levi did not really know how to respond, but he did not need to, because Eren began speaking again.

He let out an over the topic dramatic sigh, and the fool was grinning like a moron as he changed the topic drastically. This was a habit that Levi noticed Eren had: he would speak of tender subjects when he really needed to get it off his chest, then immediately change the talking point to something else, mostly to start cracking jokes.

“You know, I should just marry you to shut up my dad. I mean, you’re reliable, hard-working, responsible, and you would just make a damn good wife.”

Levi scowled at this. Scowled deeply and glowered at the brat. “I am _not_ a woman,” he sneered, about to snatch his hand away when Eren’s grip tightened around him, and he scowled even more if possible. “Tch! Besides, the whole point is for you to produce an heir.”

“Adoption?” Eren looked hopeful, and Levi wanted to smack him, because this conversation was making Levi want to blush like a schoolgirl instead of act like the bitter vessel of a man that he was. His heart was a vermilion hummingbird, rapid flaps of scarlet wings threatening to shatter the dull grey cage his ribs formed. He had to swallow the lump of nerves lodged in his throat, and decided to disguise all the hidden truths in his being with nonchalance like he always did.

“Tch. That’s different don’t you think.”

A shrug. “Not really.”

“No. It is, you stupid brat. Because there’s the whole bloodline thing that your dad seems to be all of a sudden a bit too gung-ho about.”

Eren rolled his eyes. “I don’t care. I’m marrying someone, so he should be satisfied.”

“Tch. Don’t decide on our marriage on your own you shitty brat.”

“So? What do you say?”

Eren was looking at Levi seriously, and it almost made him reel back in surprise.

“You are _not_ serious.”

“I _am_. Okay, okay, fine, fine. Marriage is a bit too much. Will you let me bed you then?”

Dirty, filthy, fucking brat.

Levi’s eyes were about the just bulge straight out of his skull and run off on their own. It would be in his best interest as well, so he would not have to look at Eren’s stupid buoyant face and want to burn up at every word that was coming out of those stupid tempting lips.

“What the fuck? What the fuck are you on about? You little shit. Are you constipated? Should I cook more broccoli tonight?”

Eren slumped down against the pillows, looking at anywhere but at Levi. “I’m not constipated! Just a little...” His cheeks flushed claret. “Sexually deprived. And frustrated.”

“How the fuck did your sentimental talk turn into this?”

Eren reached his free hand up to rub at the nape of his neck, having the nerve to look sheepish as he uttered his next words. “Well...I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now. But, uh, didn’t really know how to approach the topic.”

“You are _not_ serious.”

“No! Really! I am!”

“I don’t think you should be asking your employee if you can fuck him. Even if you do, you can do it with a little more tact and woo me a little you know piece of shit.”

Levi only realized what he had said when he noticed the mischievous way Eren’s eyebrows raised.

“No, don’t even—”

“So you’re saying, you would let me fuck you if I “do it with a little more tact and woo you a little”?”

“No, that’s not—”

“It’s a deal then!” Eren’s entire face lit up. “Seriously, Levi, this would be a huge favour. _Please_.”

“Go buy yourself a hooker, rich brat.”

“Levi, _please_. I trust you, and you trust me too. Probably. I promise I’ll make you feel good, and I'll promise I'll be a gentleman. It would be a benefit for us both!”

It would be. Levi would be able to sate his own sexual desires for a while at least. Eren was not the only one sexually deprived, because Levi could barely remember the last sexual encounter he had. He would if he thought about it for a bit longer, but it was a distant memory in the back of his mind nonetheless, and had been for a long time. Bedding Yeager would really benefit Levi as well. But there were also consequences, and Levi was not sure whether it was worth it.

“Why don’t we make it a bet?” Challenge glinted in blue-green orbs. “What? You scared?”

Oh, that stupid brat knew what would get to Levi. Levi was too stubborn of a man to back down from a challenge, despite the nature of it, and _Eren knew this_.

 _So much for being a gentleman,_ Levi thought with heavy petulance.

Already guessing and knowing what the bet would be, Levi said, “I can always just lie about your ability to woo me or not.”

“But you wouldn’t, because that’s not who you are. Man of your word, remember?”

Damn brat.

This was dangerous. This was crossing the line. This was everything that Levi should not and could not do.

But would he?

The answer was on his face, because Eren grinned even wider if possible, looking brighter than the sun and all the stars that Levi would be willing to tear off the sky just for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things took for a turn? The story is progressing??? Let me know what you think of this chapter!
> 
> You can find me on these platforms:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/inxomniacwriter/)  
> [Tumblr](https://inxomniacwriter.tumblr.com/)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, as some of you may have noticed, I have changed my username from "Inxomniac" to "InxomniacWriter", so don't fret, it is still me. I felt that "InxomniacWriter" suits me a bit more. Aside from that, "InxomniacWriter" was already my username on Twitter and Tumblr as "Inxomniac" was already taken, so today I have changed both my AO3 and Instagram username as it works in my favour in that sense. Thank you to a certain someone who helped me solidify this decision (you know who you are, here's the update that came so soon :D)
> 
> Second, I apologize for the update being two days late. I had anticipated to post on Monday night (it is Wednesday night in my time zone right now), but got busy and could not finish until today. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Anyhow, here is the new chapter of _Loyalty_! As always, thank you all so much for reading and for giving kudos, commenting, and subscribing etc. Especially thank you to those of you who have been commenting / have commented, I really love reading and replying to all of your comments :) I think my note has been long enough. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Never would have Eren ever thought that it would actually work.

After the conversation with Jean, rather than focusing on the evident pain he had caused and the defeated stance the two-toned-haired man had taken as he had been walking away, Eren’s mind had been fixed on a certain petite raven with gunmetal eyes.

He finally came to the conclusion that perhaps he did feel a little more than physical attraction towards Levi, and had ended up spending the rest of his night walking around in the cold December air, thinking about the predicament he was currently stuck in.

The first enquiry that most in Eren’s position would make would probably be whether or not Levi was even gay. However, this was the one question that Eren was able to answer immediately — with certainty. Eren did not want to stroke his own ego (although he did want to at the same time), but he knew for a fact that Levi did have some factor of attraction towards him. Unless he was absolutely wrong in reading the man — which was highly unlikely. Not only was he pretty good knowing whether or not others found him attractive (he had been to enough clubs and parties as a stupid teenager), he had known the man for ten years to boot, and he was willing to put his money on Levi being somewhat attracted to men, or to him at the very least. Levi probably thought the cautious glances he would let linger on Eren were subtle enough, and would go unnoticed, but they definitely did not. It was also not lost on Eren that Levi had stopped complaining about the so-called innocent touches that Eren had been initiating, and knowing the man, if he did not like it, he would never have let them continue and would have roundhouse kicked Eren into the next century.

Knowing that the main query had already been answered, all that had been left to do was figure out how to solve his own predicament, which was more than a handful. After more contemplation, this was the easiest resolution that he had come to.

Eren should just bed Levi.

For one, it would — hopefully — solve his endless lust for the man. Or at least, sate it for a while. Though, knowing how attractively appealing the man was, this solution would not last long at all, but — again, _hopefully_ — for a short while at the very least. It would aid Eren in being able to avoid some cold showers and lonely late night sessions with his right hand. Hopefully to stop dirty and absolutely _filthy_ images of Levi from intruding his mind for the time being.

Secondly, Eren had not been with anyone seriously since Jean, and that had been high school; Eren was now in his third year of universities and aging past twenty in three months. Sure, he must had had a couple flings here and there, but he honestly did not remember much about _any_ of them. If anything, the more he thought about them, the less he could remember, so he simply settled on not trying to remember them at all. It was not like they were anything important to him anyways. However, the consequences he was suffering at present were the pent-up sexual urges and frustrations. Bedding Levi would benefit Eren in the sense that he would get to soothe these urges and release these frustrations. This would add onto the help in avoidance of cold showers and dates with his right hand.

Thirdly, knowing Levi, the man probably only felt the slightest fraction of physical attraction towards Eren — nothing more, and nothing less. He would really need to solidify his true feelings concerning Levi before he decided to even attempts to court the man, because that would take more effort than anything he had ever done in life. Simply seeking sexual company from Levi was already going to take Eren the almost week-long break between the Yeager Inc. Christmas party and New Year’s party. If he was going to put this much energy into sex, he might as well go beyond measure into pursuing the man in terms of a relationship. If he was really going to put his shoulder to the wheel into this, he would need some more serious consideration of what he truly felt for Levi. But, in the meantime, even though it would take some work, he was confident that he could look forward to enjoying some good sex.

Eren could hardly catch a wink of sleep in the revelation that Levi had actually agreed. Naturally, it had taken some convincing, but the reward was worth way more than some convincing. He had around one week to woo Levi starting from the day of the Christmas party. According to Levi, Eren was apparently expected by his father to spend time to woo his future spouse, but he was more than willing to throw that all away and spend his time and efforts wooing Levi instead. If he was successful, he got the sex. If he was unsuccessful, he got no sex. Simple as that. The additional outstandingly appealing merit was the fact that it would not be _just_ sex, but _New Year’s sex_. To Eren, _that_ was _definitely_ worth exerting effort for. Aside from that, the settled guidelines were almost non-existent, which was a super advantageous bonus. Eren was allowed to take Levi on dates. Eren was allowed to take the materialistic approach of gifts. Eren was even allowed to initiate kisses and touches. But of course, the last factor was only if Levi did not punch his ribs through for it, as he was only allowed to “initiate” such actions. But Eren was willing to do anything to push the limits of whatever invisible boundary Levi had already set between them over the course of the following days.

Laying in his bed, Eren was starting to regret the little rest he had managed to get. Rather than really falling asleep, he had ended up only dozing in and out of short intervals of snoozes. The drive to the city where the Christmas party was held in would take around eleven hours, and he could only hope that he would be able to catch some sleep then. The clock on his nightstand was closing into six o’clock, and he was just waiting for Levi to drag him out of bed. Just thinking about the long day he had ahead made Eren curl deeper into his duvet, shutting his eyes again. From the details that Levi had given him after they had finalized their bet, the party would begin at eight in the evening. However, as one of the “supposed exclusive hosts” of the party, he was to arrive at seven, half past seven at the absolute latest. Since they would be leaving the apartment at seven o’clock sharp, by the time they arrived at the hotel, it would already be six o’clock.

In conclusion, Eren would have no legroom to settle down before he had to start getting ready for the party. Just thinking about it brought more pain to his head despite not being in the state of a hangover, and he allowed his many layers of blankets to swallow him.

Yet, the more he thought about it, the more sympathy he felt for Levi.

 _He must be way busier than me,_ Eren thought.

Eren being Eren, did zero packing until late previous night, after the conversation he had with Levi. By that time, Levi had basically shoved him out of the way and did all the packing himself. Eren had even seen his caretaker pack travelling pillows and blankets. All Eren had ended up packing for himself was his shoulder bag with his laptop, chargers, identification and such in it. All other essentials from clothes to toothbrush to underwear, Levi had got it under his control.

Just as Eren was lulling back off into dreamland, his door was slammed open _loud_ , making him jump three feet off the mattress and tumble onto the floor in a tangle of limbs and covers. He looked up to find Levi already standing over him, dressed in uniform and all.

“Get the hell up, get ready, and get changed, brat. I already laid out your clothes. Also, don’t take a shower. You can do that once you get there. Doing it now is pointless because we have an eleven-hour drive ahead of us, and you would have to shower when we get there anyways.”

With that, Levi was tugging the blankets from Eren and was beginning to the bed. Surprisingly, Levi appeared as he would any other day. As if nothing was out of the ordinary for either of them. As if the bet had never happened. As if there was no red thread wrapped around either of their thumbs.

Eren blinked up at Levi in a daze of stupor before slowly getting up, frowning when the sight of Levi wearing his work uniform registered in his brain.

“Why are you wearing that at the asscrack of dawn?”

Levi did not even spare him a glance as he continued to fluff the pillows with deft hands, and Eren found himself wanting those smoky eyes to linger on him like they usually did. “Don’t worry about my attire, brat; worry about yours.”

Eren completely ignored the statement. “Are you going to wear that for _eleven hours_? That’s bound to uncomfortable as fuck.”

Levi finally turned around to face him, and Eren almost wanted to smirk in satisfaction at the way Levi’s eyes automatically trailed south before snapping back up. If it could make Levi react in such unexpected ways, Eren would not even find having morning wood embarrassing. The petite raven spun around sharply and Eren wanted to outright grin at an even better view than startled expresses — a particularly nice backside.

“I’m going to change later. Now go get ready, you shit. We are _not_ leaving late.”

Eren gave a lighthearted laugh and decided to stop trying to tease or ogle Levi in the light of the possibility of actually being late. By the time he had gone through his morning routine save for the shower, he noticed Levi was already gone, along with Eren’s suitcase and the garment bag his suit was placed in. Making his way to his desk chair, he began putting on the outfit that was laid out for him as Levi had said it was: an army green crew-neck sweater, black sweatpants, leather jacket, and comfortable sneakers. Packing away his phone or any personal items that he had been using up until now (he was careful to place the gift bag in a way that it would not be squashed) then double-checking that he had everything he would need, he made his way downstairs to find Levi bustling between the dinner area and the kitchen. Eren could see that both of their baggages were sitting by the front door, garment bags and all. By the time he took a seat at the dining table, shoulder bag sitting beside him, Levi was already diligently setting down a plate of bacon, eggs and toast in front him before settling down across from him with his own food. Eren did not want to, but he did want to, to grin at Levi’s outfit. Levi was a impeccable and virtuous man, and his fashion choices further enhanced his attractive features tenfold. Even while travelling, Levi’s outfit seemed as if appearance was prioritized above comfort. Under his slim leather jacket was a loose light grey sweater that fell past the outer garment to bunch a little loosely around his hips, and tightly wrapped around his legs deliciously so were a pair of maroon skinny jeans, just covering the tops of his black suede Chelsea boots.

“Oi, eat your food, brat.”

Eren focused his vision to see Levi staring right back at him, fork and knife in hands that were mid-air as he stopped in the motion of cutting up his food.

“I packed some snacks for us because knowing you absolute junkie shit, you would probably want some. But we have a long day ahead of us, so eat up.”

Eren let out an overdramatic sigh, leaning his head back. “Can we just, not go, and go to the hot springs or something for a holiday?”

A deep scowl was enough answer for Eren, and another sigh escaped his lips.

“A long day we have ahead of us, indeed.”

 

_— Loyalty —_

 

Eren felt incredibly sluggish as he was climbing out of the limousine, the grand hotel entrance greeting him not fazing him in the slightest. If anything, the looming decorations only stirred bubbles of nausea in the pits of his stomach. Due to his lack of sleep in the previous night, he had luckily been able to sleep through most of the ride, and now he was dreading the rest of his day more than ever. His hands were truly in handcuffs. There was nothing he could do about the Christmas party except to attend it. At least, the arrangements he had made for the night would be something for him to look forward to.

Checking into the hotel suite was easy enough, but what immediately changed the impassive expression on Levi’s face was the fact that there was only one bed in the room. Eren leaned against the door with a small smirk as he watched the raven turn to face him, features schooled back into a blank stare.

“I think we got the wrong room.”

“Nope,” Eren quickly rebutted, popping the _p_ to place more emphasis on the word. “I changed the booking.”

Levi finally completely lost his poker face and blatantly gaped at Eren. “You little shitty brat. When?”

Eren gave a nonchalant shrug. “Last night.” Last-minute changes as such would have been impossible, yet it was almost unrealistically easy to change his booking the moment he mentioned his name as the hotel obviously knew about the party, and the fact that he was the son of the host simply aided in his effortless persuasion. “I mean, we do have close to no guidelines for our little bet, and you never mentioned anything about sleeping in separate beds.”

Levi gave a scowl at that and began to unpack both of their baggages, Eren’s first. “You fucking piece of shit. Go take a shower, you brat.”

Eren wanted to skip merrily into the bathroom.

When Eren padded back into the main room after a shower that was longer than necessary in only his briefs while towelling his hair dry, Levi ushered him to sit still while he had his turn in the shower. Eren ended up simply idling around on his phone until Levi emerged from the bathroom.

Eren wanted to fuck the man while he was wearing his suit.

Levi was wearing a three-piece suit: white shirt, pearl waistcoat, black trousers, shiny black dress shoes. But what really complimented the attire as a whole was the replacement of a tie with a white cravat and the black tailcoat that fell almost to his ankles. A touch of hair gel was also added into his hair, slicking it back a little yet still keeping some strands framing around his youthful face.

Levi looked good, _more_ than good, and Eren could not wait until New Year’s Eve.

Eren knew he was unabashedly ogling Levi, but he could not help it. The way the entire outfit clung to the lean frame and hugged around the slender musculature made Eren’s mouth water in the best ways possible.

Levi must had noticed the Eren making sheep’s eyes at him, because the next thing Eren knew, he was receiving a scathing glare.

“What?” Levi sneered brusquely.

Eren merely gave a grin of a fool. “You look good,” he sighed dreamily and exclaimed in pain when Levi smacked the back of his head, hand shooting up to rub at the sore spot.

“Let’s get you changed, because your bird’s nest takes ages to tame.”

With Levi standing closer as he helped Eren assemble his own three-piece suit, soft fresh scents of flowers paired with musky cedar drifted up Eren’s nose, and he wanted to bury his nose against the raven’s throat. He refrained from doing so, out of fear that he would get another smack.

 _I’ll get to do it at the end of the week,_ he thought confidently.

After he had his full outfit on, Levi made Eren sit on the bed as he dried and tamed the brunet’s hair with an abundance of hair gel. As a finishing touch, Levi sprayed some cologne onto Eren’s throat.

“There, all done. Now let’s go, brat.”

“Already?”

Eren whipped his head around to look for the clock, and found that it was already closing onto half past seven.

“We took a little more time getting here because of the traffic, but we have to go now.”

“Can we _please_ just stay here?”

“Stop stalling, brat.”

The walk to the party venue only made Eren feel even more nauseous, and he wanted to run back into his room to just sleep forever. The sight of the contemporary ballroom only made matters worse. The decorations were nice, tables neatly arranged throughout the ballroom. The party worked in a buffet style, with plenty of space weaved in between and around the tables for movement and conversing with each other. Although it was still early, Eren could already hear noisy chatter drifting throughout the room.

Levi and Eren were barely on time and Eren knew so when his father greeted him with a glare.

Before Eren could say anything, Levi immediately came to his rescue, and Eren could kiss the man.

“I apologize for the wait, sir. There had been heavy traffic during our journey here, and there had been some complications with our room.”

Instead of the scolding that Grisha was obviously ready to lay on Eren, he simply said, “Eren, let’s go. Your future spouse is here already. Levi, please stay close to Eren throughout the night.”

With that, Grisha turned and Eren could only follow with a loud over the top sigh with Levi a couple steps behind him.

 

The trio were now greeted with a plump man with short, black jagged hair and a thin mustache lining his Cupid’s bow. Like most of every man in the party, he was in a three-piece suit, with the addition of a top hat sitting atop his head. Next to him was Eren’s supposedly “future spouse”. She was a short young woman with long blonde hair held together in a low ponytail that fell over her shoulder. She donned a long royal blue dress that bared her shoulders, a piece of extra fabric falling over her chest. Eren had to admit, she was pretty, and he bet that many would fall for her.

_Except I don’t like girls._

Her large piercing blue eyes that were glaring at the ground lifted as the Yeagers and Levi approached the pair. The chubby man’s face lit up by a fraction at the sight of Grisha and immediately stuck his hand out.

“Grisha! As always, thank you for inviting us.”

Grisha returned the grin and took the man’s hand for a firm handshake. “Mr. Reiss, always my pleasure.”

“Oh please, stop with the formalities and just call me Rod already.”

The two chatted idly for a moment before they bothered to complete introductions.

“This is my daughter Historia,” Rod’s booming voice announced, meaty hand giving Historia a shove.

Grisha returned the introductions: “This is my son, Eren, and the family servant, Levi Ackerman.”

Eren wanted to scowl at the word “servant”.

Nonetheless, they all shook hands, Grisha narrowing his eyes at the way Eren had shook Historia’s hand rather than giving it a kiss like he was expected to. Eren felt sick to his stomach. Then Rod and Grisha left to have their own conversation, but not before Grisha shot Eren withering glare as if to push him to talk to Historia. Levi was still within Eren’s sight, just out of earshot to allow Historia and Eren some privacy.

“I’m just saying,” Eren said loudly the moment his father left, “I have no intention to marry you.”

“Oh, that’s bright,” Historia rounded on him, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrows drawn together in a determined frown. “I have no intention of marrying you either. In fact, I already have a girlfriend, and I plan to spend time with her rather than you over the course of this week.”

Eren blinked in surprise, both silent for a moment before he let out a loud chuckle, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. “That’s good, better than good, because I’m gay.”

Historia returned the surprised blink and her eyes softened before she let out an equally light-hearted laugh. “I guess trying to force two people together never works, huh?”

“So, I’m assuming a secret girlfriend?”

Historia gave a sad smile at that, wringing her fingers together as her gaze dropped to the ground. “Yeah. I can’t let my father know about Ymir. Not yet, at least. I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be spending time with her this week though.”

Eren let a wide grin slip onto his lips at that. “Actually, I do already have plans with someone else.”

Historia responded with a questioning tilt of her head and Eren jerked his chin to where Levi was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, blank grey eyes staring out into the growing crowd in boredom. She gasped softly, and eyes grew wider in curiosity. “I thought he’s the family servant.”

“He is, but, you know,” Eren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and Historia shot him a genuine, sympathetic smile. “Well, we kind of made a little bet, and I have this week to woo him into my bed.”

Historia scoffed a bit disapprovingly. “You look at him with lovestruck eyes and all you want to do is bed him?”

Eren shrugged at that, not knowing how to answer, because even he was not sure of his own feelings towards Levi. “We’ll see how it goes from there.”

“You are one strange man, Eren Yeager.”

Surprisingly, Eren found himself enjoying having a conversation with Historia far more than he would have ever anticipated. The party was now in full swing. Grisha had already announced the beginning of the party. There were people loitering around, guests helping themselves to food, business partners conversing with one another. Eren knew he would probably get caught up in a business conversation sooner or later, so he and Historia both decided to keep to themselves. Not only to avoid said business conversations, but to also act as if they were truly interested in each other in order to please their fathers.

Eren thought it was odd. He knew Levi had excused himself to the washroom, but the man was taking far too long for his liking. Grisha had ordered for Levi to stay close to Eren, and Levi would never disobey his father. Since the party was filled with strangers, Eren definitely did not feel comfortable about this.

“Go look for him,” Historia prompted, and Eren gave her a curious stare, to which she sighed at. “You’re looking for Levi, aren’t you? Go look for him, I’ll be fine on my own. The food here is quite good, actually.”

“Thanks, Historia. We’ll talk more about what’s going to happen this week, yeah?” Eren could not help the grateful smile that spread across his lips, and Historia waved him off with a smile of her own. With that, Eren was making his way to the bathroom.

Walking towards the bathroom took long. Guests kept trying to stop Eren to speak with him, only for him to dodge their questions and avoid their gazes. The longer it took for him to find Levi, the more anxious he began to feel. Levi was more than capable of taking care of himself, Eren knew that, but he also could not help to feel this way. He felt like a child again; like the time he had lost Levi in the supermarket Levi had first begun working for the Yeager family, only to be found crying and sobbing in a corner by the raven later on. That was the first time he had truly felt alone. Eren had wondered if Levi had left him alone just when he had started to get attached to him. Had wondered if Levi had also abandoned him like his mother had just when he had started to get comfortable to someone again.

Eren wanted to sigh in relief when he finally found the bathroom.

Only to be met with a familiar sight of a certain blond man cornering his petite raven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did any of you get the reference to the red thread? :) I'm actually not too sure about how well this chapter is written. Since a lot of it speaks of Eren's thought process, there is a lot less dialogue (or at least, I feel there is), and I know some people do enjoy dialogue a lot more than plain descriptions. Please do consider leaving some feedback or just general comments about this matter, or the work in itself. It would be truly helpful! Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the comments or via my social media! Thank you for reading!
> 
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	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is bit of a disclaimer note, so please do read it. I just want to make a clarification in case anyone either misunderstands or assumes too quick, because I have seen this way too often on other's works. Yes, I do like Erwin. No, I do not hate him. Yes, he may be portrayed as kind of the "bad guy" in this _Loyalty_ , but no, I do not hate him. As more of his relationship with Levi is revealed, it actually makes a lot of sense for him to fit into this role. Please understand my decision as the author to portray Erwin as this way in _Loyalty_.
> 
> I also have to apologize for being a bit late on this update as well. I would have updated last night, but I did not have any Wi-Fi for my laptop. Thank you all for always being patient with me.
> 
> Anyhow, enough of my long rambles in notes. As always, thank you all so much for reading and for giving kudos, commenting, and subscribing etc. A special big thank you to those of you who have been commenting or have commented on my work. I always love reading and replying to all of them, and they are massive encouragement and motivation to me :) I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Levi did not like the situation that he was currently stuck in at all.

The blond bastard looming over him looked impeccable as always, donning a white shirt and red tie under an azure blue suit, red handkerchief peeking out of his pocket. As always, he was wearing that constant calm and collected expression. Levi knew better than that though. Knew that it was simply a meticulous facade to pull the wool over one’s eyes while his cards were played close to his chest. Knew that the poised smile was no better than one of a snake itself while others were played right into his hands. Knew that those patronizing blue eyes were shards of blistering ice analyzing every movement of their prey. Icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce through Levi the longer he stared. Icy blue eyes that could still read all that was branded on his soul where no one else could ever hope to reach even after all these years.

Levi despised all of it.

“Mr. Smith.”

“Mr. Ackerman. It is good to see you here.”

A perfect smile.

“Now could you please kindly fuck off?”

The smile only grew.

Levi knew Erwin was trying to stare him down. Force him into a corner. Push him onto an edge. Back him into a cliff.

Levi would jump off it before he bared his neck in utter submission to this man ever again.

He met and held the condescending stare with a glare of his own, smoky grey eyes hardened with defiance. He barely noticed the curl of his fingers into fists, the tense of the muscles lining his shoulders.

“Now, now, Levi. That is not a very polite manner to greet a business partner of the Yeager Inc.”

Levi absolutely _despised_ the falsely courteous manner the man was speaking in.

“Or should I say, _your former lover_.”

Levi tried to keep his cool. He really did. But before it could be registered into his mind, pale open palm was flying towards the man’s cheek, heat searing upon his skin and urge burning in his blood; the need to release his pain and frustration on someone, on _Erwin_ , especially. Except, like always, Erwin could read Levi like the back of his own hand. Could foresee Levi’s every motion before even he himself knew what he was going to do. Could predict where Levi was going to strike.

Could hold onto Levi’s wrist before flesh met flesh.

“Now, now, _Levi_. That was not the greeting that I was expecting from a faultless man such like yourself — anyone could have seen that little scheme you tried to pull. What would happen to the Yeager name then?”

The touch sent fire scorching through his blood. Sent flames alit across his mind. Rolled waves flashing themselves past his eyes. Levi yanked his hand back, wrist leaving the tight grip of thick fingers. Fingers that used to wrap themselves around his wrists and his hips and his thighs. Nails that used to leave their marks on his shoulders and his back and his waist. Hands that used to run across his face and his chest and his stomach.

Levi despised all of it. It made him sick.

“Tch. Lovers? You call us that?” A laugh left his lips, a laugh that was void of all that one should be filled with. Gunmetal eyes flashed with fury, with indignation, with resentment. “You can’t be serious.”

“Were we not?” A coy smile and a bashful stare was the response.

A smile that was guileful and a stare that was cunning.

Levi despised all of that. It made him sick. Nausea curling in the pits of his gut and bile rubbing itself against the back of his throat.

“You have no right to call us lovers after how you treated me.”

Blue eyes softened. Wide jaws slacked. Soft lips fell.

The big blond bastard had the nerve to look sorrowful.

“Levi, that was years ago.”

A hateful grit of his teeth. “And yet here we are.”

“I have already apologized many times before. You need to understand that I had been young and frivolous about most things in life. That I had basked in the glory of success at too young of an age. Far too soon, in fact, and now I am facing the consequences.”

A shadow fell upon Levi’s features, a stark contrast to his usual impassive face. “Thirty is not a young age, let alone thirty-four. Tch. Don’t use your age as an excuse. Four years, Erwin. Four years. For four years you treated me like utter shit. _Lovers_ should be the least likely term to describe what we had. And, what consequences are you even talking about? The ones _I_ had to face? Don’t fuck with me, Erwin.”

Erwin took a step forward.

Levi took a step back.

But he could not take another back as much as he would have liked to as his back hit the wall.

A deep heave of breath. A slow exhale. Close; close enough that Levi could feel the warmth and smell the mint.

“Levi, please. I have learned from my mistakes. Please give me another chance.”

“You—”

“Come work for me. We can start from there.”

Levi blinked, incredulous, before he laughed. A cold, bitter laugh overflowed with nothing but hate.

“Don’t fuck with me—”

“How far do you think you will go as the house steward for the Yeager household?” Levi froze at that, eyes widening just the slightest of fractions. “As a servant? As a butler? As a caretaker for a twenty-year-old who is completely capable of taking care of himself? Do you plan on doing that for the rest of your life?”

Levi seethed through his clenched jaws, “You bastard. Don’t degrade my job—”

“Think about all the opportunities that you could have in my company. It would take others years to get the required degrees and qualifications to even _apply_ to my company, let alone get accepted. Then they have to work their fingers to the bone just to climb to the top. For you, I am willing to appoint you as my secretary — my right-hand man. This is a golden opportunity that any would jump at, and I strongly urge you to take it.

_Erwin. That bastard._

The expression the blond wore was streaked with sympathy. Commiseration. Pity.

All that Levi despised.

Levi took a step forward, midnight blue orbs tinted darker with shades of grey holding royal blue eyes. Blue eyes that once set his skin ablaze with a single glance. Blue eyes that once ravished his entire being with a single look. Blue eyes that once sent his heart pounding out of his ribcage with a single stare.

Levi despised it all, and he met those same blue orbs that now caused him nothing but revolt with a leer of his own emerged from the depths of his anger.

“Don’t you _ever_ , degrade the title of my job,” he hissed out through clenched teeth. “You have _no_ right to do so. You have _no_ right to even _try_ to get back into my life. You have _no_ right to even _say_ anything about my life. Not after all the shit that you have done. I am done with you, Erwin. Now fuck off.”

Erwin reached out. Levi saw it. Knew the man’s hand was going to rest on his shoulder, like it always did whenever Levi was silently wallowing in his pain. Like it always did whenever Levi was quietly crumbling under his stress. Like it always did whenever Levi was soundlessly fuming in his rage. Levi did not want the touch, the touch he had come to despise so much. Even if it fell upon his clothes, he knew he would later spend hours on end scrubbing the same spot until it erupted with patches of red.

Before he could recoil from it, a shadow fell in front of him, blocking the hand from meeting his shoulder. He tilted his head slightly to see the familiarly slicked back brown hair, thick eyebrows drawn together in an abhorred frown, enraged green orbs flecked with seething gold, pink lips pressed in a tight line.

“Eren—”

Eren’s voice was low, lower than usual, a deep rumble bubbling from deep within his chest.

“Mr. Smith. It is good to see you at this party.”

A pause.

“Eren. The pleasure is all mine. I did not think that you would be at this party. You never attended any in the past.”

The pair shook hands, and Levi could feel in his own how tightly Eren had clenched the other’s just by seeing, knuckles pale even when they released each other’s hands.

“Yes indeed, this is my first party. I am enjoying it so far,” Eren spoke in a casual tone until his eyes darkened and voice lowered even further. “Now, I must inquire, what business would you have with _my_ employee, Mr. Smith?”

Erwin’s eyes shifted from Eren to Levi, to which was responded with defiance from the smaller man. A slow grin spread across the taller man’s chiseled features that made unease curl and lick at Levi’s stomach when his attention returned to Eren.

“Why, we were just catching up. Unfortunately, Levi and I had not managed to do so due to time constraints the last time we had met, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to have a long-awaited chat. Levi and I go _way back_ after all.”

_Fucking bastard._

If anything brought anxiety scratching at the insides of his lungs and caused bile rise up to push against the flesh of his throat more than ever, it was this moment.

Levi was, and had always been, a secretive person. Even as he was approaching his thirties, he remained the socially awkward and taciturn person that he had been throughout his childhood and adolescence, constantly hidden behind a mask of insults and toilet jokes. Very few were able to crack his shell, two being Hange and Erwin in the past. Although he had been living with Eren for a whole decade, the youth did not know much of Levi’s private life or history as the man used his utmost effort to keep their relationship professional apart from the occasional banter and such. For Eren to discover his relationship with Erwin could even cause him to lose his job, albeit he did believe that Eren would never fire him based on this. But Levi could only imagine the drama it would cause based on the reaction Eren had when Erwin had visited the Yeager household.

“Well, if you could excuse us, I have some matters to tend to with Levi. I hope you enjoy the party, Mr. Smith. Farewell.”

The words were dripping with malevolent venom that Levi rarely heard from the carefree happy-go-lucky Eren before. Eren had some anger management issues, had had them since he had lost his mother. From time to time, he would have outbursts, especially in his teenage years. However, over the years, his temper had improved by tenfold and he had learned to rein in his emotions better. Particularly towards and in front of Levi, Levi could tell that Eren made an extra effort to control his tantrums, and for the young adult to speak with such rancour was rare.

Eren did not wait for a reply before he had placed a hand on the small of Levi’s back and guided him towards the elevator. Once they stepped in, the younger of the pair leaned on the mirror wall with his head tilted back against it. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his eyelids dropped shut, arms lifting to cross against his chest.

“I thought you looked troubled,” Eren murmured past barely moving lips. “You didn’t exactly look happy to be talking to Mr. Smith.” He then gave a sidelong glance at Levi before looking away again, continuing in an even quieter voice, “I didn’t know you guys are on a first-name basis though.”

“How much did you hear?”

In truth, Levi did not really want to know the answer to his question. Just thinking about the amount of information Eren could have gotten on one of Levi’s past relationships made a sense of foreboding nestle and wedge itself in the flesh between each rib that built his dulled cage. Habitually, like always, he drained his emotions dry and froze his features stony as he awaited a response, even as he risked a glance at Eren to see the other’s brows pinched in deep thought.

It took more than a moment. “Not much,” Eren replied, almost gingerly, glancing up as the elevator chimed and the doors slid open. The pair stepped out into plush carpeted floor and Levi followed Eren and assumed that they were making their way towards their suite.

“How much?”

“Something along the lines of ‘not after all the shit that you have done’,” Eren spoke in a casual tone, but the troubled look he wore betrayed his voice. Levi opened his mouth to make some poor excuse, any excuse to keep his relationship with Erwin under lock and key, yet, Eren beat him to it.

This time, a smile, a genuine smile tugged at the corners of Eren’s lips as they stopped in front of their room door.

“I’m not going to ask. Not right now, at least, so stop looking like, as you would put it, _constipated_ ,” Eren said and Levi scowled at the cheeky intonation the brat took. “Now close your eyes.”

“The party—”

“Is shit. I did all I needed to do, which was to attend. Now close your eyes.” Before Levi could even part his lips to say anything, Eren quickly added, “That is an order, as your employer.”

Eren merely chuckled as Levi grumbled a string of curses under his breath, but doing as he was told. His ears pricked up as he heard the door open, wanting to roll his eyes at Eren’s “don’t peek”, almost blushed like a schoolgirl but managed to keep a straight face when his heightened senses felt Eren’s warm palm against the small of his back. The touch sent a warm spark up his spine, and he wanted to curl in the heat like a cat and sleep. The door shut with a soft sound, as if it knew causing anything louder would create a disruption in the silent atmosphere. He felt himself being guided across the room, feet carrying him slowly at the handicap of his sight. A soft breeze caressing his cheeks told him that he was probably at the balcony, and he was ushered down onto a comfortable cushioned seat, Eren’s hand leaving his back to take hold of his shoulders. Then, the touch disappeared.

“Eren?”

Levi was met with silence, and he was close to opening his eyes when he felt the space next to him dip with weight. Then he felt it. Feather-light grazes of fingertips dancing across his skin as a soft fabric was being wrapped around his neck, closing in around the bottom half of his face and warming his skin.

_A scarf?_

Levi inhaled deeply, and the exotic scent of citrus tinted with a note of woody musk that he knew was unique to Eren reached his nose. Unable to keep his eyes closed any longer, his lids slowly fluttered open to see Eren’s nose almost touching his own. The green-eyed youth had a soft smile on his face. Not wide like his usual cheeky bratty smug ones, but just a soft close-mouthed smile. Levi quickly turned his eyes downcast, only to see a thick knitted midnight blue scarf wounded around his neck several times, reaching his mouth. Grey orbs interlocked with sea green ones, golden flecks more prominent around dark pupils under the moonlight.

“Happy birthday, Levi.”

It was a soft whisper. A soft whisper that rose the crimson hummingbird that was his heart, spreading its wings and fluttering its blue tinted edges. It sent ripples that trickled through his lungs to his stomach and his spine. It begged to be let out of the ashen cage it was captive in.

Levi did not want to acknowledge it.

“When—”

“I knitted it over the past month,” was the sheepish reply, Eren reaching his hand to the nape of his neck as he looked away abashedly, cheeks vaguely flushing red under the moonlight.

Levi wanted to gasp aloud at the surge overwhelming pounding he felt against his ribcage, but he managed to keep it bandaged at the back of his throat. “You _knitted_ this?”

“Well, with lots of video calls with Mikasa and Annie,” he let out an embarrassed laugh.

Now that he probably looked around them, he realized that they were settled on a round wicker love seat with some cream-coloured cushions. Atop the matching coffee table was a charcuterie and cheese platter, a bottle of red wine sitting beside a filled decanter with two wine glasses. On the other side of the table were two crème brûlées, a teapot and a tea cup. Glancing around, he noticed scarlet rose petals scatters sparsely across the balcony and small tea light candles weaved between the open spaces.

Levi was almost afraid to meet Eren’s eyes, afraid of what he would find, whether it be a sea of raw emotions or a painful reminder of their bet.

Was Eren truly unaware of how much he had troubled Levi’s feelings since the he had appeared, or did sex really matter that much to him?

“I know it’s not much but...do you like it?”

_Not much? Are you kidding?_

Levi could not remember the last time someone had made an effort for him, let alone used time and energy to _surprise_ him on his birthday, set up everything like they would for a _lover_ , and even _made_ him a gift. He wanted to tell himself that it was all for the bet, because that was all this was for.

_Fucking shitty brat._

Levi almost had to wipe his eyes to check if there were tears leaking out, because hell, he had just turned twenty-eight and he was not about to sob ugly in front of his twenty-year-old employer. Instead, smoky grey orbs were glazed over and glistening under the full moon as they held teal ones, teal eyes that were so genuine he wanted to let himself believe that everything was in fact genuine.

“Tch. You really are trying to woo me huh? Shitty brat,” he muttered, and a part of him, the part that warmed his cheeks with self-consciousness and made him want to avert his eyes, wished he did not. He wanted to thank Eren, he really did. But the cotton of his awkwardness seemed to soak up his saliva and leave his tongue parched, and he managed to utter nothing else even after moments of worrying his bottom lip, running millions of thoughts through his head to pick a suitable one.

Eren seemed to understand him though, because the brat had the nerve to give him a heart-wrenching grin that would break hearts from miles away. “Hey, I had this planned even before we made the bet.”

If that did not make Levi’s heart to finally break its cage and fly straight out of his chest, he did not know what would.

Tanned skin brushed against pale as Eren bumped their foreheads together, and Levi wanted to move away. He really did. He told himself he did. But he did not.

“Forget about everything else tonight and just focus on me.”

So he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? I really tried to make that last scene as good as I could, and I hope I didn't disappointment and met your expectations. Please do consider leaving some comments either here or on any of my other social media platforms. I hope I don't bother you all too much about asking for comments, but I really appreciate them and they are very helpful to me :) Thank you for reading!
> 
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	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the slightly shorter chapter. I thought some of you might want to experience the last chapter from another point of view, and I didn't want to cram too much into this chapter because it would absolutely ruin the essence of the scenario.
> 
> I just want to say thank you all for being so patient with the updates. I hit a pretty bad writer's block for this chapter, and lost a lot of motivation while gaining a lot of self-doubt; I almost thought that I would not be able produce a chapter at all. I want to say a special big thank you for all of your comments and feedback for _Loyalty_ , because they truly helped me get back on my feet. Especially for the last chapter, I had gotten quite a few comments. They all made my day and made me incredibly happy to read. I cannot thank you all enough, because it truly helped me in pushing through in moments like these. You guys rock.
> 
> I'm sorry for always having long rambles in notes. As always, thank you all so much for reading, giving kudos, leaving comments and subscribing etc. We have now reached over two hundred kudos, so a really big thank you to all of you! Thank you to everyone for sticking with me :)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

“Don’t you _ever_ , degrade the title of my job. You have _no_ right to do so. You have _no_ right to even _try_ to get back into my life. You have _no_ right to even _say_ anything about my life. Not after all the shit that you have done. I am done with you, Erwin. Now fuck off.”

Before Eren could register what he was doing, he was blocking Erwin Smith’s outstretched hand from making contact with Levi, as if his body was running on pure instinct, as if his movements were relying on sheer innate behaviour. A glare settled in his teal blue orbs, the usual blithe and carefree orbs hardening stone cold. Fire singed along the prickles of his skin and set his lungs alit. The emitting smoke caused him difficulties with breathing; he wanted to pant. But he reeled in the urges and allowed his flesh to burn, the scent of raw smouldering thick in his nose.

“Eren—”

“Mr. Smith. It is good to see you at this party.”

Eren could barely recognize his own voice. It sounded foreign — a deep rumble boiling over from the depths of his diaphragm. He had the impulse to punch something, to hurt someone, but he refrained from doing so to avoid causing a commotion in his _father’s_ company gathering.

There was a pause before Mr. Smith replied, and the enigmatic tone the man had taken on further aggravated Eren. “Eren. The pleasure is all mine. I did not think that you would be at this party. You never attended any in the past.”

In unison, they extended hands for a shake, eyes meeting, both pairs exuding heavy dominance. Eren tipped his chin slightly in challenge, and the same flashed through icy blue orbs that were staring back at him. He gave a particularly hard clench to the meaty hand before releasing it, tugging a mask of faux indifference when he spoke.

“Yes indeed, this is my first party. I am enjoying it so far,” Eren spoke with a casual lilt in his voice. Then, his eyes darkened, shadows falling over vibrant teal orbs, and his voice lowered by a fraction. “Now, I must inquire, what business would you have with my employee, Mr. Smith?”

The wolf within him raised its hackles and bared its fangs at the way Erwin Smith’s eyes slid over to Levi and shifted back to Eren with a slow grin pulling at the corners of his lips. The lupine raised its snout and cried a feral howl that was painted red with fury. Its instincts told him to protect Levi from the blond man before them, and tear apart flesh and tissues until he stood victory atop a breathless body.

Instead, he clenched his fists and locked his jaws at the man’s next words.

“Why, we were just catching up. Unfortunately, Levi and I had not managed to do so due to time constraints the last time we had met, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to have a long-awaited chat. Levi and I go _way back_ after all.”

_Fucking bastard._

Eren needed to get away before he did some real damage that he would not be able to reverse. Whether he would regret it or not was another issue, because he knew he would _not_ regret punching in the Captain America fraud until the man was bloody and bruised, but the consequences his father would lay upon him was a whole other story.

So he took in a deep breath, chained up the wolf within him, and forced a smile void of all a smile should contain.

“Well, if you could excuse us, I have some matters to tend to with Levi. I hope you enjoy the party, Mr. Smith. Farewell.”

He did not wait for a reply, and as if it was an innate gesture, he placed a hand on the small of Levi’s back and steered the smaller man towards the elevator. Once they had stepped in, Eren leaned onto mirror wall, tilting his head back and closing his eyes with a heavy sigh, drawing his arms up to cross them against his chest. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly, trying to rid himself of the crimson rage that was bubbling in his veins.

Eren did not like the bits of the conversation that he had heard. From what he knew so far, Levi and Erwin had history, and that did not do any help to ease him of the distaste he had towards his father’s business partner. As much as Eren did not want to believe it, the two definitely had a past. Aside from sharing bygone days, Eren could not think of any other reason as to why Erwin Smith would be so desperate to win Levi over as his right-hand man.

_What if they were lovers?_

The mere notion only worsened the temper outburst that Eren was so close to setting off despite his supposed behaviour to act professional and avoid meddling with his employee’s personal affairs.

 _But I guess courting your employee for sex isn’t professional and is meddling with personal affairs huh,_ Eren thought wryly, a grim shadow making itself known on his face.

“I thought you looked troubled,” Eren murmured into the tense air when neither he or Levi spoke. “You didn’t exactly look happy to be talking to Mr. Smith.” He then gave a sidelong glance at Levi before looking away again, continuing in an even quieter voice, “I didn’t know you guys are on a first-name basis though.”

Silver eyes were downcast and for a moment, Eren saw fear flash through them so fast that he wondered whether or not his own vision was playing tricks on him, but that alone was enough to make his stomach drop. His mind wandered into the endless possibilities of what there was between Levi and Erwin Smith, and hoped the raven would at least speak to him about it. Levi kept his face apathetic however, when he lifted it to fix a piercing gaze onto Eren, and Eren felt like he could not breathe at such direct eye contact. The gunmetal orbs lacked any and all emotion, yet, it was filled with every and all emotion.

“How much did you hear?”

_He’s hiding something._

The thought gnawed at the back of Eren’s head, impossible to force out of his cranium as it took heavy strikes at the insides of his skull. A frown pinched his eyebrows together as he paused to think of an answer, almost weary to the words caught in the back of his throat.

_What are you hiding from me?_

_What relationship did you have with Mr. Smith?_

“Not much,” Eren opted for instead, the pair exiting the elevator at the soft chime of the bell announcing their arrival and making their way to their shared suite. As far as he knew, if anything, asking those questions would simply chase Levi away from him, and if he really did develop more than lust for the man, that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“How much?” Levi repeated, and Eren could see the frustration just barely hardening the edges of midnight blue irises, and the panic lurking beneath and curling itself around dark pupils.

_Why are you hiding from me?_

_Why are you running away from me?_

The words lodged themselves against his gullet, refusing to speak them no matter how much he wanted to.

“Something along the lines of ‘not after all the shit that you have done’,” Eren replied in a casual tone, but his own eyes betrayed him. Distress was nestling in teal irises against his discomfort, anxiety chewing into his pupils.

_Please don’t let this night be ruined._

So he took another deep breath, and smiled a genuine smile, thinking about the arrangements he had in store for Levi when they stopped in front of the door to their room.

“I’m not going to ask. Not right now, at least, so stop looking like, as you would put it, _constipated_ ,” Eren said with a cheeky lilt and the smile tugging at his lips widened at the sight of an adorable scowl adorning Levi’s face that would be anything but cute on anyone else. “Now close your eyes.”

“The party—”

“Is shit. I did all I needed to do, which was to attend. Now close your eyes.” Eren almost rolled his eyes when the smaller man opened his mouth to speak, but he was quick to cut him off, “That is an order, as your employer.”

Technically, Levi could still refuse the command as he was more of Grisha’s employee than Eren’s, so Eren could not help the blatant surprise that etched itself into the corners of his eyelids and the soft chuckle leaving his lips as Levi slid his eyes shut after a long string of curse words grumbled under his breath.

“Don’t peek,” Eren reminded, shaking himself out of his astonishment and placing his palm back against the small of Levi’s back, smiling at the warmth that spilled onto his skin through the fabric of the suit.

Eren was nervous. Only a fool would not be in his situation. Soft flutters of agitation flitted under his skin, his heart pounding loud enough that he wondered whether or not all guests on the same floor could hear it. It threatened to break out of his ribcage if he continued to keep it captured behind bars. He tried to keep his breathing even, but his lungs shuddered and trembled at every breath he took.

He led Levi to sit at the rounded wicker loveseat situated at the balcony, smiling at the way everything was set up to his wishes and expectations. He faintly wondered with worry if the winter night chill would bother Levi, but was reassured when he remembered his instructions to pack the thick blankets to a basket under the seat.

“Eren?” Levi asked with quiet concern that made Eren strangely warm inside when his hands left Levi’s shoulders after settling him down, sitting down next to the raven himself.

Eren took Levi’s gift out of the basket placed under the loveseat, and allowed his fingertips to graze icy pale cheeks as he loosely wrapped the knitted midnight blue scarf around the smaller man’s neck, wanting to make tactile contact with the raven as much as possible. He watched as Levi’s thin eyebrows furrowed together a little, before his eyes slowly began to flutter open.

“Happy birthday, Levi.”

Eren had not even realized how much he had been leaning into the other man until he saw silver eyes widen in surprise and quickly dropping down. Eren could see it, and it made the scarlet hummingbird that was his heart flutter and beat and pound against his chest, begging to be set free through the ribbons of blue; he could see the tips of Levi’s ears slowly turn pink, the tops of his cheeks that were visible above the scarf flushing red.

Eren knew his answer then.

“When—” Levi began but Eren quickly cut him off. Out of nerves or out of bashfulness, he did not know.

“I knitted it over the past month,” was his sheepish reply, the diffidence finally catching up to him and making him turn his head away, feeling his face flush with colour to match Levi’s skin. He lifted his hand to rub at the nape of his neck, trying to knead away the bashfulness prickling at the skin there.

“You _knitted_ this?”

Eren let out an embarrassed laugh, not blaming Levi for the shock coating his words. Eren had never been too much of an art person so to speak. He had even almost failed art class in high school, and he was even worse with words, so trying to be poetic with Levi would probably be the _worst_ idea, let alone the delicate skill of knitting. He had wanted to gift Levi something special, and seeing the row of soft scarves on multiple display windows for winter clothing had made him pick up his determination and try his hand at it.

“Well, with lots of video calls with Mikasa and Annie,” Eren clarified, which was true. While he was holed up in his room a lot over the previous weeks, a lot of the hours were spent calling his childhood best friend and said best friend’s girlfriend for help.

When Levi did not say anything except look around at the set-up that Eren had planned, consternation began filling his lungs like water, a menacing warning of suffocation. “I know it’s not much but...do you like it?” he asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the raven’s answer.

But Eren got all the answer he needed from the way Levi’s eyes glazed over under the moonlight, a beautiful shade of midnight blue edged with silver that held his own gaze. Eren’s heart was restless.

Eren really knew his answer by then.

“Tch. You really are trying to woo me huh? Shitty brat,” was the soft mutter that Levi gave, chasing the words with a deeper shade of red tinting his cheeks and following the words with insistent chewing of his bottom lip, and Eren let his gaze linger on the small action.

A grin spread across Eren’s face, because he _knew_ his answer. “Hey, I had this planned even before we made the bet.” Which was true, and Eren could not be happier with his choice if he got to evoke such a response from Levi.

A streak of bold electricity sparked at the vertebrae sitting at Eren’s spine, and he slowly leaned in further to gently bump his forehead against Levi’s.

“Forget about everything else tonight and just focus on me.”

Eren truly _knew_ his answer by then. Now that he really thought about it, he wondered how he had never realized it before. How he could be so oblivious to his own feelings before. How he had been so unaware of what was going on with his own heart and mind. But none of that mattered now, because he truly _knew_ his answer now.

Eren was falling for Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? I was pretty hesitant on the integrating such a progression from Eren's part into this chapter, so I hoped that it did not feel too rushed or any of the like. Please do consider leaving some comments either here or on any of my other social media platforms. I hope I don't bother you all too much about asking for comments, but I really appreciate them and they are very helpful to me. As I have mentioned many times before, they really serve as massive encouragement to me. Thank you all for reading!
> 
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	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am finally a day early on my update instead of late (whoops). I am trying really hard to write ahead so that I will be able to post more updates, but we will see how that goes (fingers crossed). Thank you for being patient with me and sticking with me.
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for reading and giving kudos, commenting and subscribing etc. Especially to those of you who have been commenting or have commented on my work, thank you. I always love reading and replying to all of them and they are what keeps me going on whenever I have self-doubts. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Levi felt incredibly warm when his body rose itself to consciousness.

A strong arm was tightly wound around his waist, another pair of long muscular legs tangling with his own. Taking in a deep inhale, the exotic scent of citrus tinted with a note of woody musk tickled his nose. A content sigh left his lips when the limb circled around his torso gave a gentle squeeze, feeling smooth skin under the pads of his fingers as he slipped into a subconscious motion of running them back and forth a veined appendage. Soft flesh rubbed against the back of his head and warm breath fanned his hair as he shifted. He snuggled back against the hard chest pressed up to his back, his mind still slightly fuzzy from the alcohol that he had indulged in during the previous night. Light shivers crawled up and down his spine as fingertips left feather-light brushes against his clothed stomach, and a small moan spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it. At that, a pleased, longing sigh could be heard, but it was not from him.

“I want to wake up like this everyday,” the soft mumble came from the mouth now pressed against his hair.

Silver eyes snapped open almost immediately, a heated flush tinting his pale complexion dark crimson as his mind registered his surroundings. He was cocooned against Eren’s hard body under the sheets, warmth from the youth seeping into his own body and keeping him warm from the winter morning chill. Subconsciously, his own fingers had been kneading at Eren’s forearm that was draped over his waist, occasionally giving gentle squeezes to his middle. Their legs were weaved together, a certain hard body part pressing between the cleft of his bottom that made his face feel hotter if possible.

 _Dumb horny brat,_ he thought in irritation when it clawed a reaction out of his own body.

“Oi, you’re heavy, brat,” he complained in a gruff voice, bringing his arms in between his legs, drawing them up higher and clamping them shut.

“Five more minutes,” Eren grumbled back. Levi took a glance behind him and rolled his eyes at the eyebrows pinched into a furrow and the lips pursed into a pout.

“Tch. You’re heavy you piece of shit, and way too fucking warm you fucking furnace shit,” Levi muttered, chasing away the raspiness that was threatening to trickle into his words with insults.

“Five more minutes,” Eren whined, eyes still closed.

Levi narrowed his eyes and dug his elbow into Eren’s ribs, smirking a little at the loud sound of pain he made at the contact, lids finally blinking wide open to reveal faintly hooded teal orbs.

Levi shifted a little. His body was facing away from Eren, but he had his head turned, his own sleepy grey eyes focused on the younger man. Rather than focusing on the smaller man’s clear annoyance, Eren’s eyes immediately dropped down, Levi’s eyes following his, and he wanted to blush like a schoolgirl at his own appearance. The oversized grey long-sleeved T-shirt hung dishevelled on Levi’s lithe frame, black plaid pyjama pants hanging on his hips low enough to to reveal, most of all, the light happy trail dusting his smooth pale skin. A scowl adorned his features as Levi thought about how vulnerable he must had looked to Eren. As a general rule for himself, and mostly due to his personality, Levi always carried a calm and collected demeanour and behaved with utmost professionalism. At home, he was never seen without his proper work attire, and even when he donned a more supposedly casual outfit, he would always make sure that it was refined past the extent of a normal, casual attire. To see him in such a defenceless state so to speak was definitely a first for Eren, and Levi wanted to punch the taller man for the way the golden flecks in his blue-green irises seemed to light up.

“Oi, eyes up here, shitty brat,” Levi snapped, narrowing his eyes into a glare to shove away the embarrassment that was creeping up the nape of his neck as he slowly sat up, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. He quickly looked away from Eren, the too much exposed sun-kissed skin from the taller man stirring the flames licking at the pits of his gut.

Levi had insisted on wearing a full set of pyjamas, while Eren, the brat he was, had insouciantly slept in his naked glory but for a pair of bacon boxers Levi had gotten him as a birthday gift for his love for the meat. Levi, had obviously protested, and was adamant on making Eren wear clothes to bed, but he had used the argument of it being highly uncomfortable and that he wanted to enjoy his sleep while he was on holiday after long stressful weeks of university and such and such. After a long while of going back and forth at it, Levi realizing that he could no longer coming up with new arguments, the pair had finally climbed into bed, exhausted from both the party and the later gratifying amount of alcohol, albeit they had initially each taken up a far side and slept with a wide distance between them.

Eren ignored Levi and wrapped his arms around the man’s middle, resting his head on clothed thighs with once again closed eyes.

“Gimme five minutes, it’s cold,” he mumbled.

Levi completely stilled for a moment, until the awareness that Eren’s face was way too close to the small tent his crotch was pitching for comfort and a wave of fever sluiced down his back. He raised his fist and knocked on Eren’s head hard with his knuckle, earning himself a loud groan. Pressing his fingers into dark brown hair, he tried to shove Eren’s head off his lap, but to no avail. A shiver wracked through his body when Eren began to rub a cheek against his thigh. He shifted restlessly at how close Eren’s face was to his groin, trying to will away his growing boner and thinking of unclean bathrooms. But, to no avail.

“This is why you wear proper clothes to bed you shitty brat,” Levi grumbled with more more behind his words than he had intended, hating himself when he almost stumbled on his sentence. He gently tucked the thick covers around Eren’s shoulders though, nimble fingers gentle despite his harsher words that accompanied the action. “Don’t catch a cold and make me take care of you.”

“Nurse Levi sounds good.”

Levi stilled again, before knocking his knuckle against Eren’s head again. This time, a lot harder, not even needing to dwell on the notion to know that Eren was thinking about something perverted.

“Fucking hormonal shitty brat.”

“What? I didn’t say anything dirty.”

“Tch. I _know_ you’re thinking about something dirty. Now get the fuck off me.”

“ _Nope_.”

In spite of the grating remarks that Levi was making towards Eren, it felt way more than nice to be wrapped up in the youth’s arms. Although he would never admit it aloud, to himself or to anyone, Levi had always been a lover of cuddling, and Eren seemed to be the perfect size for him to snuggle and curl up against as well. Levi always thought that the best part of a relationship was the cuddles he was able to leech on. He enjoyed basking in the love and attention while still being able to let his potty mouth run with zero filter without chasing away his significant other, and Eren seemed to be the perfect candidate to able to stick to him well enough regardless of the jarring comments from him. Of course, the sex was also another part of a relationship that Levi had always enjoyed. Sex, to him, was good, after all, but that was well-known amongst most who were close to him. The fondness towards affection and attentiveness though, was something that he would keep to himself and only to himself. Perhaps.

_Maybe relationships aren’t so bad after all, huh._

Dropping his eyes down to the brunet that had fallen back asleep in his lap, he did what he most definitely should never do: he began wondering about what it would be like to have a relationship with Eren Yeager. Although Levi was less than willing to acknowledge it, he knew Hange had been right about these so-called feelings he had. However, even if he did concede defeat to them, he questioned whether or not he would want a true relationship with the boy. Eren was Eren, and Eren was definitely attractive, sure. Eren curled his lips a smug smile, carried an air of nonchalance, complained about tomatoes in his food, made teasing remarks towards Levi, and strewn his room full of filth. But, Eren was kind, wore his heart on his sleeve, spoke cheesy and corny lines, consciously flirted with Levi in oddly endearing ways, and would do absolutely anything for Levi.

That scared Levi.

Aside from high school flings and puppy love, Levi was not aware of other past relationships that Eren might had committed himself to. But then again, the amorous entanglements that Eren had engaged in never lasted long. Whether it was due to being too young, the other party, or just Eren himself, Levi did not know, and he could barely make a judgement on whether or not the youth would even be willing to get together with him based on that.

_Is it worth a try though?_

The question honestly lingered upon his mind.

Levi shook his head at the direction his train of thought was heading towards. This was a bad idea. A _really_ bad idea. The last thing he should do was to allow himself to fall further into the grave that he had dug himself way too early on in his career at the Yeager household. Levi could never have Eren, and that was the end of it. Furthermore, Levi already had a taste of how relationships went and the consequences of being in one; he did not need another to ruin the life that he had made for himself now.

The sudden movement of Eren startled Levi enough to spark a light jolt in his bones. Eren had shot up from his position, almost knocking his head against Levi’s chin in the process if the raven did not have fast reflexes and had not ducked back in time. Before Levi could lay a scolding, Eren was checking the clock then running straight towards the door after scrambling off the bed and throwing on the black silk bathrobe that was draped onto the ottoman bench at the end of the bed.

“Oi, where are you going, brat?” Levi scowled, aiming the expression more at himself for feeling disappointed that Eren had moved off his lap than at Eren himself.

Eren quickly opened the door and fussed with something at it for a moment before coming back in wheeling a cart in front of him, with one hand. Levi kept his face impassive but mind suspicious at the way Eren hid his other arm behind his back, using that shoulder to keep the door open as he pushed in the cart. It was covered in a white cloth from top to bottom, two typical silver cloches that Levi assumed were placed over food sitting atop the cart. Eren left the cart by the sliding doors to the balcony, all the time keeping his back and hidden arm away from Levi. He approached Levi almost slowly, an all too pleased grin hanging on his lips as he rocked his body from side to side almost teasingly. A chuckle left his lips when Levi eyed at him with even more suspicion.

“Here, _mon cher_.”

Eren held out a large bouquet of red roses, and Levi merely blinked for a moment, body still. He could not remember the last time that someone had gotten him flowers, if _anyone_ had even gotten him flowers in the past. Not even the love interests he had more interest in than others would had been observant enough so to speak to know that Levi fondly appreciated such gestures. He really did not know how one was supposed to react in a situation as such. Until he felt heat rush to his face and spread across his cheeks instantaneously. The raven quickly looked away, lungs flooding with embarrassment that he was desperate to not show Eren, but held his arms out for Eren to place the flowers into them.

“This is the sappiest shit ever, and your French is shit as always,” Levi grumbled as he turned back towards Eren, but — probably — not so discreetly lifted the scarlet blooms to his nose to sniff at them, the sweet fresh scent gentle on his nose, a soft tickle that he did not mind at all. He still refused to meet Eren’s eyes, and hid the bottom half of his face behind the bouquet. “They smell nice.”

“Breakfast in bed?” Eren suggested and Levi peeked up from behind the flowers.

“You better brush your teeth before you eat,” he snapped, setting down the flowers and sliding off the bed to pad towards the bathroom. He glanced back to see Eren’s face breaking out into an impossibly bright grin, looking like he had just captured the sun and moon and all the stars in his palms.

The pair brushed their teeth together, Levi having to use his utmost effort not to let his gaze linger on reflection of the skin that was exposed by the deep dip of Eren’s bathrobe in the bathrobe. Eren noticed anyways, and the cocky youth was quick to poke at the older man for it.

“Like what you see?” Eren crowed with delight, voice muffled around a mouthful of toothpaste foam.

The tips of Levi’s ears heated with pink and he quickly ducked his head, rinsing his mouth rid of toothpaste suds as an excuse to keep his rapidly flushing cheeks away from Eren’s vision. Cleaning his mouth on his face towel, he muttered a “you wish”, shielding his embarrassment with a small smirk before he quickly turned to back walk out of the room.

They had a nice breakfast of fruit, yogurt, toast, omelettes and potato hash, Eren all the while complaining about Levi’s food being a lot better and Levi scolding him with multiple remarks of “eat your damn food shitty brat”.

“What should we do today?” Eren wondered with curious eyes slanting upwards, lightly sucking yogurt off his spoon as he did so. Levi stared at the way Eren ran his tongue back and forth on the steel before he flicked his gaze back down to his food with an awkward clear of throat.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one wooing me?” Levi grumbled and shoved a piece of strawberry into his mouth, internally wanting to close his eyes at the refreshing sweet taste.

Eren pouted, jutting his bottom lip out as he looked at Levi indignantly. “I didn’t exactly have any time at all to plan anything, okay?” He seemed to have grasped an idea when his teal eyes suddenly brightened up. “The beach would be nice!”

“It’s in the middle of winter and freezing cold you moron,” Levi rebutted, though secretly not minding another beach date seeing Eren in nothing but trunks and slicked with salt water.

Another pout formed on Eren’s lips and he shoved a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth before his face lit up again. “Oh! I got a great idea! Let’s go shopping.”

Levi raised an eyebrow and Eren quickly rushed to add another response, “I’ll buy you anything you want, and we can even look at the cleaning products sales.”

“Deal.”

 

_— Loyalty —_

 

Levi only now realized why Eren had looked so excited the whole time during their shopping ship.

True to his words, Eren brought Levi to look at the after Christmas sales at the supermarket. Usually, Levi would have preferred to shop closer to home, but it was a Boxing Day sale after all. He could not possibly wait until he got home after New Year’s, so he would have to make do with this.

Levi completely raided the cleaning products aisle.

He had ended up with buying all that was left of the cleaning agents, new brooms and mops and more. Eren had simply watched him with wide eyes the entire time, not thinking expecting the outcome, but had ended up displaying a wonderful grin all the same as he was giving his credit card to the cashier and signing the delivery form.

Levi had way more fun than he had anticipated; he had never thought that he would enjoy himself so much simply by walking around with someone. Eren, nonetheless. Levi did have to admit, Eren looked really good in his get-up of a white T-shirt under his rugged black stand collar leather jacket and black jeans that hugged his legs nicely following by sneakers. Levi, on the other hand, had opted for a slightly warmer outfit of a slim black trench coat over a warm high-necked charcoal grey sweater and black jeans covering the tops of his black suede Chelsea boots. Of course, he had the scarf Eren had given to him wrapped around his neck, Eren having grinned brighter than the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky when he had done so. They walked in and out of multiple shops, walked through markets, walked across parks, Levi all the way sneaking glances at the youth. He was also granted with an excuse to press his shoulder against Eren’s arm as they walked amongst the crowd of people and to lean in closer towards the youth’s warmth to hear his voice above the loud chatter surrounding them. Despite Christmas having already ended, there were still many like Levi and Eren themselves who were indulging in the sales that Boxing Day was offering. In spite of himself, Levi found that he did not mind the masses too much. At least, not when Eren was blabbering away about anything and everything, his pleasant voice the only thing Levi could focus on aside from his appearance.

 _It almost feels like a date,_ Levi mused thoughtfully, and a wave of heat hit him the moment the notion surfaced.

He had to keep reminding himself of the bet whenever his heart strayed from his mind. It was dangerous. He needed to uphold his principles. He would not allow himself to jump off the cliff and fall straight to the pits of the ocean and drown himself.

Now, they were standing in front of an outdoor ice skating rink after dropping their shopping bags off back at the hotel and having a delicious dinner at a sushi restaurant, and Levi only now realized why Eren had looked so excited the whole time during their shopping ship.

“You didn’t say we were going ice skating,” Levi stated as they stopped in front of the counter for skate rentals.

“That was the surprise! It’ll be fun!”

As romantic as ice skating with his date Levi had always thought it seemed in novels, he did not exactly fancy falling on his arse the moment he stepped onto the ice.

“No it won’t.”

Eren turned to him with pleading puppy eyes; Levi could almost see the ears drooping and tail wagging. “It will! I promise—” A blanket of seriousness fell over Eren’s face then, and golden specks of concern shone in his irises in a way that made Levi’s heart trip over the ribs that it had been climbing to escape. “Levi, do you know how to skate?”

A flush of embarrassment weaved through his veins and centred at his core like hot flames licking at his skin — it seemed to be happening to him a lot these two days, and he began wondering whether it would continue if Eren persisted in treating him like they were lovers, because if he did, Levi did not know what would become of his heart, body and soul.

Levi did not know how to skate — he just never really had a chance to experience it — and the concept of Eren learning that fact seemed to flood his being with shame. It was probably due to the fact that Eren had always looked up to him since he had appeared in his life, and to Eren, Levi was practically invincible. Levi read Eren bedtime stories when he could not fall asleep. Levi chased away the wasps that sometimes creeped into the apartment. Levi fixed Eren’s cuts and scrapes when he fell off his bike. Anyone could see it in the teal eyes that shone every time they were on Levi: that Levi had been invincible to Eren throughout his adolescence, and that Levi still seemed invincible to Eren after a whole decade. To Levi, not knowing a skill as simple as ice skating just felt humiliating, especially when he noticed all the tiny brats skating away in the rink.

“Are you trying to make fun of me?” Levi snapped, blood boiling over and spilling at his feet at his own chagrin. “I just—”

“I’m not saying that at all,” Eren cut him off gently with a soft, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “It’s fine not to know anything and everything or know how to do anything and everything, Levi. Give yourself a break. Besides, I used to skate a lot as you know already, so I can teach you.”

“Shitty brat—”

“Please, Levi?” Eren virtually begged, and Levi wondered why since he would be the one doing the teaching instead of the one being taught. “I promise I won’t drop you on your ass. It’s too beautiful to damage, after all.”

The hummingbird that was Levi’s heart fluttered at the seemingly casual comment and his skin felt hotter than ever. The death glare that served as his masquerade mask slid back onto his face and he marched up to the counter.

“If you drop me I’ll kick your face in with those skates.”

Kicking Eren’s face in with the skates seemed utterly impossible.

Levi could barely imagine how he would be able to walk towards the ice rink. The blades under his skates were thin and he wondered how those were supposed to hold his weight up when they felt like they were on the brink of breaking off.

Eren was already standing up and looking at Levi expectantly, and Levi responded with a deep scowl, shifting his eyes away. A soft chuckle made Levi turn back with his lips pursed tightly together to see Eren holding his hands out.

“Come on, let’s go,” Eren said cheekily and Levi reluctantly (or, perhaps he was more than happy to) took Eren’s warm hands. The contact of their bare skin even though they were just hands flooded Levi with an innocent warm. It was not the usual wave of heat that lapped at his stomach, but rather a gentle comforting drop that fell upon his skin and spread throughout his entire body.

Levi never wanted to let go.

Slowly and steadily, they made their way towards the ice rink, Levi finding walking in skates surprisingly easier than he had initially thought it would be. He could feel people staring and hear people whispering, and he almost wanted to turn away and leave.

“Focus on me,” Eren murmured at the tensing of Levi’s grip on his fingers. Teal eyes were centred on Levi and Levi alone, Eren’s face close enough to draw a light blush over Levi’s cheeks despite his inner reprimand at himself for acting like a flustered highschool girl on her first date. In a sense, he supposed he was. He could not remember the last time someone had taken him out on a date. Or at least, something with a semblance of a date. He kept silent, not trusting his voice enough for it to not stutter or come out as raspy or any of the kind that would bring him further modification at himself.

_This is just for a bet._

The plan to avoid embarrassing himself any further was ruined however the moment they stepped onto the ice.

Levi’s feet gave out, the feeling of his body falling backwards forcing a yelp out of his throat. Before he could plummet onto his arse and wallow in his misery and woe though, a strong arm quickly curled around his waist. Out of instinct, his hands had found their way to the lapels of Eren’s jacket, pressing his face against the taller man’s chest as his heart pounded against his ribcage. In fear or because of the close contact, he did not know.

“Relax, Levi. You’re not going to fall,” Eren laughed heartily.

“I almost did you shit,” Levi sneered with no real bite behind his words.

Eren laughed again, lightly bumping his forehead against Levi’s in a way that made Levi want to punch him then kiss him. “And I caught you, didn’t I?” A playful and teasing smirk appeared on Eren’s lips then. “Don’t worry, if you fall, I will be there to catch you.”

A violent flush invaded Levi’s pale complexion at the double meaning behind the words, and he blamed it on the temperature that must be dropping below zero degrees Celsius at this point. Well it must had over the past several nights, as they were on an outdoor ice rink.

“Hold onto me,” Eren breathed out. “You’ll be okay.”

So Levi did. He held onto Eren’s shoulders, while the younger man’s hands stayed on his waist. Then they slowly shifted to holding hands, all the while facing each other with Eren skating backwards and making sure Levi did not fall even once. Eren murmured encouragements, whispered praises, did all that Levi despised that he loved.

When they stopped to take a break, soft drops of water landed on Levi’s face, and he looked up from where he had been staring at their joined hands.

It was snowing. Small flakes fluttering and landing on them and everywhere around them. A chill tugged a shudder through Levi, and he felt Eren pull him against his chest. Warm fingers intertwined with his at their side, Eren’s other arm drawing up to wrap around Levi’s shoulders. The sharp nips of cold were chased out immediately at the warmth that engulfed him. The warmth that flooded his skin and his chest and his lungs. The warmth that was sweeping his entire being away. Levi begged for himself to fight it. Pleaded at himself to reject it. This was wrong on many levels. This was _wrong_. His eyes should not flutter. His ribs should not tremble. His heart should not soar at the warmth that fasted tight around his fingers and began to drag him deeper and deeper into its imprisonment. But the cage that held his hummingbird was the true prison and it had finally picked him apart for its grand escape, leaving behind only crimson feathers and cerulean plumes.

Levi let himself be swept away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? Let me know! Please do consider leaving a comment either here or on any of my other social media platforms. I really appreciate them and they are very helpful to me :) Thank you for reading!
> 
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	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I keep apologizing for late updates, but this time, I am truly sorry, this is the longest that I have been away for. My initial plan had been to just take a short break, but it ended up being over a month. I had been feeling really down and unmotivated towards just about most things in life, and I really needed a break from writing _Loyalty _. But now I am back! I am slowly getting back on track with writing and hopefully the regular updates will come rolling back in. Thank you to all who are being so patient with me.__
> 
> __This is a chapter with basically fluff (and flirt?) and I'm not too sure if it is my best, but I think it is quite a necessary conversation to have — you'll see!_ _
> 
> __Thank you to everyone who have or have been commenting, subscribing, and leaving kudos etc. I apologize if I had not responded to your comments. I basically took a break from AO3 as a whole and have not checked my inbox, but I will definitely get to them soon._ _
> 
> __As always, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!_ _
> 
> __PS I have rambled long enough for the beginning chapter note. However, please read the note at the end for an announcement._ _

“Shitty brat, are you done?”

“I just need to put on some clothes,” Eren called out, deciding to let his hair air-dry despite the nagging he could already hear from Levi in the back of his head for leaving his hair wet in the cold weather. “Unless you would rather I walk out naked. I mean, I know you enjoy seeing my body and all.”

“Tch. Just hurry up, Yeager. I’ve seen you naked before anyways, you act like it’s a big deal.”

Currently, Eren was drying off his damp hair in the bathroom after a warm morning shower, water still trailing down the sides of his neck and the edges of his temples. The corner of his lips quirked up in a small smirk at the thought of all the times that Levi had walked in on him naked, and had continued on whatever he had been doing with an utterly straight face, showing absolutely zero signs of embarrassment — except for the tips of ears pinkening considerably. It was a subtle reaction that Eren did not learn to pick up on until after spending years with Levi, and even then he had to really look for it to notice it. However, the more he saw the man, the more he realized that it was actually not so subdued as he found that the colour greatly contrasted against Levi’s incredibly pale complexion.

It was midweek between the Christmas party and the New Year’s Eve party. So far, Eren had been having way more fun that he had originally anticipated. Of course, it was always fun hanging around Levi. Nonetheless, he had initially thought that he would have somewhat grown to become nervous around Levi (well, to a certain degree at least). Not _only_ because this week would determine the outcome of their bet (some might think that sex was his only intention — it was _not_ ), but mainly because he had finally come to the realization of his feelings towards Levi. Albeit still trying to come to terms with the mass hurricane of emotions wreaking havoc in his mind every time he saw the man (though he had to give himself a pat on the back for he was doing pretty well in hiding it — he would say so, at least), he was going to try to do everything in his power to win the man’s heart. Sex was good, sex was always good, especially with the living and breathing personification of _sexy_ , but it would be a tremendous bonus if he could simultaneously win over Levi and kill two birds with one stone. It was almost like his original purpose to have bed the man in hopes of fighting off his feelings have now morphed into to bed the man _while_ making the man fall in love with him. Hence, despite the two having known each other for a decade and almost more, of course it was nerve-wracking for the youth. However, Eren had soon discovered that being around Levi calmed him more than anything rather than rocked jitters across his skin; it brought gentle ripples of serenity to him as opposed to the violent waves of anxiety that he had been expecting — it simply felt natural to be himself around Levi.

Now, the pair was going out for a morning run.

At the ass crack of dawn.

In the dead of winter.

While Eren was on holiday.

Though Eren had protested against the early hours and the cold weather and the physical exertion, Levi was having none of it. Neither of them had gotten any exercise so far during their stay, and as someone who did regular intensive training, Levi was beginning to feel restless. Simply going ice skating or taking long walks in parks was obviously not enough for how fit the man kept himself (there was no way he did not consciously keep himself fit with how much muscles the man packed). It was either that they went together, or Levi went alone. Eren had been _so_ tempted to stay tangled in the warmth of the bed, had been just about to burrow his face against the pillow (or more specifically, _Levi’s_ pillow) and doze away into the dirty, filthy dreamland of Levi doing absolutely dirty, filthy things.

Until he saw Levi take out a pair of leggings.

To say that Eren liked leggings would be the biggest understatement of the year. Heck, of the entire _century_.

Eren _loved_ leggings. And Levi in a pair of leggings was going to be the death of him.

Grinning a little at the thought (maybe more than a little, for he was certain that quite a creepy wolfish grin was adorning his face), Eren pulled a light black hoodie over his plain navy T-shirt and tugged on black joggers before exiting the bathroom. Levi was sitting at the table set by the balcony with a book in one hand, the other holding a cup of morning tea in a way that Eren found absolutely endearing, the tips of his slender fingers clinging onto the ceramic rim as he lifted it from the small porcelain saucer to his lips. He was already dressed in a proper black high-necked running hoodie with slits at the cuffs that hooked over his thumbs. Under the table where his legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles, Eren could see them covered in black compression pants and ankle socks were pulled over his feet. Levi looked up, teal meeting grey, gazes holding for a fleeting moment before Levi stood up, setting down his book and cup.

He looked too good to be true.

Eren needed to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. He did, and his jaw practically dropped to the floor.

The spandex was almost _too_ form-fitting and _too_ tight-fitting — in fact, it _was_ too form-fitting and too tight-fitting.

Despite supposedly being a hoodie, the fabric stretched taut over Levi and delightfully molded into the contours of his lean and muscular body, a strip of ribbing closing in around his hips. The sleeves hugged his biceps and triceps and hell fucking _deltoids_ in a way that would make anyone’s mouth water. And the leggings — _the leggings_ . The spandex pleasingly framed his seemingly slender yet in actuality powerfully sturdy legs and pulled rigid against the firm muscles that flexed with every movement he made. A light telltale bump between his legs pressed against the skintight pants, and Eren was practically salivating at the mere thought of Levi turning around. If Levi looked _this_ good on the front, Eren could not even begin to imagine how good the man would look _on the back_ . Subconsciously, he reached a hand up to rub at the corner of his mouth, to make sure that he really was _not_ , in fact, drooling and dribbling, because that would _not_ make an attractive sight.

“My eyes are up here, shitty brat.”

The irritation in the low rumble caused Eren to snap his eyes back up, only to realize just then that his widened eyes had been zeroed onto Levi’s crotch for a few long beats. A heated flush attacked his face and a sheepish grin reached his lips. However, the sight of the tips of Levi’s ears turning pink made said grin grow into a full-blown complacent one, his own embarrassment forgotten at the sacrifice of Levi’s.

“Shall we go, _mon cher_?” Eren teased and chuckled lightly at the steely glare thrown his way.

Eren refrained from letting his eyes drop and kept his eyes shifted away from Levi in prudence, knowing he would sport a more than obvious arousal at the sight of a certain appealing behind that his caretaker would definitely notice. He was even vigilant enough to continue looking elsewhere when Levi had to bend over to slip into sleek light trainers, which had taken some real tenacity to have done so (another pat on the back for himself). Eren persevered during the entire journey as they made their way down the elevator and quietly to the jogging trail, keep his hands dug deep into his pockets when his fingers began to fidget with anticipation and agitation of nervous excitement. He decided to stare out into the fairly nice scenery instead, an attempt to stop his absolutely dirty, filthy mind from being filled with the svelte body next to his. A layer of silhouetted fog was lifting from the damp morning air as the first hint of the sun’s awakening began peeking over the jungle of towering skyscrapers. There was a slight winter chill dancing across the exposed skin of his face, gently nipping his cheeks and prickling his ears.

“It’s a nice morning, isn’t it?” Eren resisted a yawn right as he finished his sentence, not wanting to make himself more drowsy than he already was.

Levi gave a small hum of acknowledgement to the remark, non-committal, but showing that he had heard. Eren smiled, letting his eyes linger on the way the first streaks of the daybreak beams gently laying themselves across Levi’s pale complexion, the shadows casting a contrast between the different hues.

Wordlessly, the pair began a light run along the jogging trail, silence wedging itself in between them and curling itself comfortable. Several joggers passed by them, only small nods and dips of heads exchanged as everyone made their own ways along the path. After jogging a reasonable stretch of the trail, with some serious contemplation and mental arguments about what was morally correct and incorrect, Eren finally settled on the decision to fall back from jogging side by side with Levi to a couple steps behind.

And he almost tripped on his own two feet and fell flat on his face and chomped off his own tongue.

 _Almost_.

Eren had to stifle the loud groan that was threatening to shove past his tightly clamped lips.

The sight he was greeted with was absolutely _divine_. The backside that was staring right back at Eren alluringly had him finding it difficult to swallow the lump that had lodged itself into his throat, the glands of his mouth flooding his tongue with an excess of saliva. His tongue dipped out to run across his lips, teal eyes centred on the way the muscles were flexing as Levi pumped his legs. Eren stared down at his palm for a brief moment, glancing between it and Levi’s rump, figuring that the plump flesh would fit into his fingers snugly.

That was when he smacked right into Levi.

A startled yelp escaped the petite man, feet stumbling forward for several steps and Eren quickly hooked an arm around his waist. With a sharp yank, Levi was pressed flushed against Eren’s torso, Eren feeling the rapid rising and falling of Levi’s chest against his forearm that was curled around the raven’s front. It was barely a split second later that Levi was fixing Eren with a withering glare, midnight blue orbs flashing.

“Are you stupid, Yeager?”

Eren responded with a sheepish laugh and tilted his gaze away, forcing back the blush that was putting his face in imminent danger. The last thing he wanted to do was to seem like a complete pervert (and _moron_ at that) and to say that he had not been paying attention on the actual jogging, but rather a very certain body part of _who_ he was jogging with.

“Sorry, I was too busy looking at the scenery,” Eren mumbled out the quick lie.

A thin eyebrow quirked up at that. Eren felt the warmth flee from him as Levi took a step away and turned around to face him, arms crossing over chest.

“Really? Scenery? I’ve heard better lies coming from a five-year-old,” was the deadpan that drew another awkward laugh from Eren.

Noticing that the tips of Levi’s ears were beginning to pinken, Eren guessed that the raven already knew what exactly he had been distracted by.

“A-Anyways, why did you stop?” Eren blurted out quickly, deciding not to be too smug in caution of getting his ass beat, and also wanting to steer the topic away before it escalated any further. It was one thing to tease Levi, but another to embarrass himself in front of the man.

The raven tilted his head slightly to the side thoughtfully, an adorable habit that Eren found Levi had picked up on. Not that Eren would ever tell his caretaker, if he wanted to protect his face from getting kicked in.

“I was wondering if you wanted to stop or take a break. I spotted a nice coffee shop, and we’ve been running for a while now.”

Eren followed Levi’s gaze to see it pensively fixed onto a cozy-looking coffee shop nestled around the corner of the street. There were already more people bustling around compared to when they had first headed out, individuals dressed in suits and blazers and all kinds of formal that Eren almost wanted to gag at. However, the coffee shop was quite appealing in appearance.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Levi and Eren were seated across from each other in a far corner of the coffee shop. Eren had ordered a caffé latte, while Levi, as always, was nursing hot black tea, palms cupping the warmed cup of the beverage.

Levi had been lifting the cup to his lips when Eren had sprung the question.

“So, are we using a condom or not?”

The look that crossed Levi’s face was almost comical. Or, perhaps, the progression of the emotions that his typically impassive face was morphing into was the comical part. It probably was not as amusing to the person in question, but to Eren, he could not help but feel playful mirth bubbling at the dips of his chest.

Grey eyes widened by a fraction, apparent shock glinting off the light refracting by the glaze of his pupils. The weighted ceramic was slipping from his fingers, and Eren prepared himself to catch it, then Levi seemed to snap out of the momentary trance and tightened his grip on it. Embarrassment whipped in the stormy orbs, blood rising from the base of his neck but never quite reaching his cheeks as a sheer film of pink dusted over them instead.

“Don’t just ask shit like that you shitty brat,” Levi snapped. Eren could only respond in the form of a grin painted with amusement and teal eyes shining with absolute endearment that he was barely aware of himself at the sight of scarlet ears and flushed skin.

“What? It’s a genuine question, you know,” Eren mused, propping his elbows onto the table and twining his fingers together, resting his chin atop the platform it had formed. “Besides, I know nothing about your sex life — I don’t even know if you prefer to top or bottom. Wait, actually, which one do your prefer?”

“Yeager, stop being so fucking loud,” Levi hissed, eyes darting around the vicinity of where they were seated.

“No one is listening to us,” Eren laughed, gleeful at being able to draw out such a reaction from his usually stoic caretaker. “Levi, we do have to talk about these things, you know. We’re halfway through the week.”

“Who says I’m even going to let you fuck me?” Levi muttered, the rim of his cup obscuring his lips and eyes glaring into the black tea. Steam curled and nudged at his nose, further dampening his skin with colour.

Previous gaiety that he had been feeling slipped past the gaps of between his fingers as he Eren quirked an eyebrow at that, surprising etching onto his face. _“Let you fuck me”?_ His mind echoed the words several more times. He probably was not doing himself any good by focusing on that, his mind about to conjure up a _dirty_ , _filthy_ fantasy before he shoved away the impulse.

“So you like getting fucked?” Eren blurted out instead, and he was so close to just slam his forehead onto the table and hope that he would crack his skull open so he could just let his life bleed away right then and there.

_Good job, Eren, way to fucking go._

If Levi’s cheeks were not burning before, they surely were now. Eren felt a guilty pang of relief at the thought that Levi quite possibly might be even more embarrassed as he was.

Starting from his high school days, hanging around peers who were equally as vulgar as he was, if not more, had simply desensitized him to asking these questions. He knew that he was prone to lacking a filter, and when it came to Levi, he could not tell whether it was better or worse. Sure, talking about sex like the mature adult he was was a normal occurrence that more people should be doing, but blurting out crude questions like the ones he had just done so was definitely _not_ the way to go about this. Though Levi was probably used to this by now, as he had had to take care of Eren through his years of adolescence. Except, this time, these indelicate words were spoken about _them_ , Levi and Eren, not others.

“Getting fucked and fucking can mean the same thing,” Levi rebutted, albeit it came out a bit too defensive for the man’s character.

“No, but the way you said it seems like you like getting bent over,” Eren refuted with zero tact, and in that moment, he truly wished he knew how to sew so that he could sew his own mouth shut. Or perhaps he should ask Levi to sew his mouth shut, seeing as the man was seamless at such tasks; the holes and rips in the old clothes that he insisted on keeping always seem to magically disappear the next day.

Levi looked like he was going to burst any moment. Eren had never seen the raven’s milky skin with that much colour, not even when the pair had together bathed under the sun for an hour at the penthouse roof on a nice summer weekend. He wanted to reach out and touch the tips of scarlet ears, wanted to confirm whether it was burning up as much as it looked like it was.

“That is none of your business,” was the stiff words that followed.

Eren’s eyes softened, guilt swirling in the pits of his stomach at the thought that he might have pushed Levi a bit too far. “We _do_ have to talk about this eventually, you know. There is nothing to be self-conscious about.”

Levi spluttered, and the reaction seemed peculiar on the man. “I’m not self-conscious about anything!” he snapped. “It’s just...it’s just...who said that I will even have sex with you?”

“I’m not saying that,” Eren laughed good-naturedly then waggled his eyebrows playfully suggestively. “But _what if_ I do win?”

“You won’t,” Levi grumbled, fingers fiddling with the rim of the paper cup.

“What if?”

“You won’t.”

“ _What if_?”

“Why are you trying so hard to get me to say that I like getting fucked?” Levi sneered in annoyance before his own words seemed to catch up to him.

Both pair’s eyes appeared to have widen in surprise, and Eren had to mask the deep chuckle pressing against the back of his throat with a rather loud cough. Levi seemed to know his true intentions though, and shot a scathing glare at the younger.

“Not a word,” he hissed but that seemed to be the breaking point to push Eren into laughing.

Eren cleared his throat after the single laugh awkwardly, taking a sip of his latte to calm himself. “See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he said, ignoring Levi’s stern command of “not a word”.

Levi visibly grimaced, bringing his cup to his lips and taking a long sip of his, then let out a long sigh.

“I’ve done both before, I just prefer one over the other,” he groused, staring into the liquid swirling in his cup. “Stop asking questions like that.”

“So are we using a condom or not?” Eren continued with a teasing lilt to his voice.

“I just told you to—”

“I mean, we both take tests regularly. Hell, you’re the one who makes all the appointments and receives all the results, so you know that I’m clean, and you’re clean. But, it’s up to you.”

The way Levi had his eyes widened and lips parted was definitely a sight to behold for Eren. However, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, morphing into a lour. Eren would have laughed if he wasn’t aware for the fact that he would most certainly get his face kicked in.

“We don’t have to. It does feel better.” The grumble was so soft that Eren could barely hear it, his companion’s stormy eyes now downcast. But he did hear it, and a grin broke out onto his face, painfully so when he heard the added mutter, “That is, if you win.”

“ _See_ , that wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Levi glowered at Eren with a deep scowl, to which he just laughed at. “Who would have thought that Levi Ackerman with the potty mouth and crude language and stoic face would get flustered talking about things like this?”

“First of all,” Levi began with a sneer, “we are in public. We should not be talking about these things.”

“You make toilet jokes all the time.”

“ _Second_ , just because you are vulgar doesn’t mean I have to be.”

Eren raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m an angel compared to you.”

An exasperated scoff. “Let’s just go.”

Eren just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the announcement, this is just an idea, but would you guys like for me to open up writing prompts (or drabbles / one-shots I guess)? I have been thinking about this for a while actually. Generally, when I take a break from _Loyalty _, I like to work on other writing, so these writing prompts would actually help me a lot too, in a sense. Also, if you guys would like, it doesn't have to be about Levi and Eren either. I do have other ships from other fandoms, some of my main ones listed on my bio on my Tumblr__[here](https://inxomniacwriter.tumblr.com/), and if you would like something from Shingeki no Kyojin, I adore Jean and Armin (just saying...). So if you guys want me to open up prompts, give me a shout in the comments or on any of my social media platforms. I will most likely be posting them both on here and Tumblr (we'll see though). If I do go ahead with this, I will be willing to receive proper prompts from here or any of my social media platforms, but just let me know that it is a prompt that you would like written. Anyways, that is enough from me. I look forward to what you guys think of this! As always, let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments!
> 
> Come find me on these social media platforms!  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/inxomniacwriter/)  
> [Tumblr](https://inxomniacwriter.tumblr.com/)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you doing? Despite this being late, I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that 2018 will treat you well. I hope you will continue to support  _Loyalty_ and any of my future works.
> 
> A lot has been going on in my life, and I am not sure if I will be able to keep up with the regular updates (although I really do hope that I will be able to), but I will try my best. I know I said that I would try not to take another break, but I did, because I had really needed it with everything that has been going on. Thank you for being patient with me.
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, subscribing and leaving kudos etc. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

It was the day of New Year’s Eve. The thirty-first of December. The last day of the year.

The day in which Levi would have to give Eren the answer to their bet.

Levi was beyond nervous. This entire ordeal was cracking the mask he had decorated for the ultimate masquerade party of life, bringing a wrecking ball to the walls that he had built for himself brick by brick. All his efforts came ripping and disintegrating, a dulled grey cage the only barrier left between Eren and his crimson hummingbird whom had bared its neck and quaked its wings, displaying utter vulnerability that in the past he would have never allowed himself to. Not that the last barricade was doing any better holding him whole seeing as it felt more and more like dust and ashes as the days passed by. He had already been swept away once, allowed his stupid bird to escape once, but he refused to let it happen again.

Or, at least, he could keep trying to tell himself that.

 _Get yourself together, Levi Ackerman,_ he scolded himself. _You are twenty-eight years old; getting worked up over something as trivial as sex is pathetic. Although it_ is _sex with the person you are physically attracted to and could_ potentially _have feelings for…_

Levi winced at that notion and proceeded to — tried to, at least — shut his mind off.

While Levi had been up for hours contemplating his decision and experiencing a mini quarter-life crisis, Eren was still sound asleep, bare chest pressed up against Levi’s back. Even with the light sweater that Levi had worn to bed in the cold winter night acting as a layer separating the pair, he could still feel every dip and curve of Eren’s sculpted torso, skin warm against his own. Levi was alarmed at how conscious he was of the hot breath that fanned against the nape of his neck, the nose that was nuzzled into the base of his undercut, the strong arms that were wound around his waist tightly, the long muscular legs that were tangled with his own.

The fucking bulge that was pushed up against the cleft of his ass.

Levi rolled his eyes at the last thought, slightly in genuine annoyance, more in attempt to will away the fluster his body was taking on by using annoyance as a disguise. He shifted a little to move away from Eren, but that only seemed to press the youth’s groin even harder against the flesh of his bottom.

Although, glancing at the clock, he realized that it was well past noon already, and they should be getting ready for the party soon.

Shifting his weight, Levi used his elbow to lightly rub the ribs pressed against his, hearing a soft grumble in response. With a scoff, he did it again, this time jabbing his joint harder onto the body at his back.

“Five more minutes,” was the loud whine Eren gave.

“Shitty brat, it’s past noon. How long do you plan to sleep for?”

“It’s winter, let me hibernate,” Eren mumbled indignantly. He burrowed his face against Levi’s spine, and the raven tensed at the ticklish feeling it sparked in his body. Even Levi himself was getting more and more reluctant to crawl out of this comfort they were sharing, but he knew they had responsibilities to tend to.

Levi moved to slide out of Eren’s grip and off the bed, but the arms around his waist tightened immediately. Breath caught in his throat and heart throbbing in his chest, he dared to glance back at Eren, whose eyes were still closed despite the concentrated furrow his eyebrows now bore.

“Stay.”

The simple word seemed to throw Levi back in time, back in time to when Levi had first met Eren.

When Levi first met Eren, the young teal-eyed boy had refused to look at Levi with anything but a furious, teary glare, and, suffice to say, the first day at his new job had been awful.

While Levi understood the pain that Eren was going through, the brat had been acting like, a _brat_.

On the first day, Eren had completely refused any and all food that Levi had offered. Though Levi was strict on the “no food in the bedroom” rule, he had made an exception and brought meals up to grieving child’s bedroom. However, he would find the boy curled up in bed, blanket over his head of thick brown hair and all; trying to coax the Eren out of the nest he had built for himself had been impossible. No matter what he had offered as bribes, the boy simply would not come out of his nest. The cherry on top was the fact that Levi had been inexperienced and clueless in dealing with children.

The next day, however, when Levi had gone through his usual routine of leaving a tray of food on the boy’s desk, he found it gobbled down when he went to check on the brat again, despite there being no signs of the boy leaving from his position in bed. This continued on for the week, where Levi would bring food up to Eren’s bedroom and find the plates and bowls empty the next time he checked up on the child.

This was the pattern until one particular night.

It had been storming. Lightning split open the dark sky, thunder rocked the building to its core, and rain pounded the windows to demand its arrival. Levi had been lounging at the window seat of his room, book in one hand and fingers of the other over the rim of a teacup. The digital clock on his nightstand read _1:49 AM_ when he heard the creak of his door opening. Ears perking up, silver gaze flicked up to see a small figure gripping onto the door frame, teal eyes shining under the dimmed lights of the room.

“Do you need something, Eren?”

Despite the fear that lingered in the swirls of amber depths, there was a determined frown on the face of the small child, his thick, dark brows furrowed and his lips pursed. In his hands was a small, fluffy blanket that he hugged close to his chest.

“Can’t sleep,” he grumbled and took a cautious step into the room.

“And why is that?”

Levi slid off window seat, and Eren notably took a step back at that. Levi kept his movements slow as he went to set down his book onto his nightstand and teacup onto its saucer, showing no signs of his usual briskness when he made his way towards Eren, who glared at him with suspicion.

“Shall I read you something then?”

The nod that Eren gave was so firm that it almost seemed angry. However, any indication of his foul temper seemed to fly out of the window when a clap of thunder shook the walls. A squeak that was hardly anything like Eren’s personality from what Levi had seen escaped from the small child’s mouth. Levi felt a hand much smaller than his grasping his fingers tightly, another grabbing onto his pant leg. At the turquoise eyes staring up at him in fear, a sharp pang broke through the layer of frost that his heart was swathed in and it instead ached in sympathy.

“S-Sorry,” Eren mumbled and dropped his gaze, but made no moves to remove his hold from the house steward. The raven adjusted his hold on Eren so that the younger’s hand was fitting in his better, before tugging him along into his bedroom.

Eren hurriedly grabbed a book from his shelf before immediately climbing under the covers, shifting around until he found a spot that he was satisfied with. Levi propped a pillow up against the headboard next to Eren and sat down, taking the book when Eren offered it to him. He began to read.

Levi read and read and read until late into the night, losing himself in a tranquil trance. When he paused, he noticed that Eren’s weight was leaning into his side, nest of brown hair pressed against his abdomen, breathing evened out in deep sleep, short fingers clutching onto the warm covers. As carefully as he could to not wake Eren, Levi slipped out of bed and adjusted the younger boy so that he was sleeping more comfortably. He was about to shut off the night light when he felt fingers tightly gripping onto the hem of his shirt.

“Stay.”

The soft whisper was all Levi needed to stay with Eren for the rest of the night and for the rest of their days.

 _All the more reason to_ not _fuck him,_ Levi scolded himself as he snapped out of his reverie. _I’ve known him since he was a child for fuck’s sake. This is wrong. This is so wrong._

“Levi?”

Levi glanced back again to see that Eren had opened his eyes, golden flecks bleeding into emerald gems that shone under the sunlight flitting through the curtains. There was a furrow that drew Eren’s eyebrows together as he levelled his gaze with Levi’s.

“You kind of went silent there. Is everything alright?” The question was glazed with concern, to which Levi wanted to roll his eyes at, but also at himself for even having to think about his decision when what he should do was so obvious.

“Everything’s fine,” Levi groused and wriggled in Eren’s arms. He ignored the whine that came from the brunet and slid off the bed, standing up with his arms crossed over his chest. “Actually, it is not, because it is way past noon, and you, sir, Mr. Eren fucking Yeager, heir to Yeager Inc. itself, is going to be late for his own company’s fucking New Year’s Eve party, so get the fuck up.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Levi yanked off the covers that Eren went to pull over his head, resulting in a loud grumble from the brat.

“Okay, okay. I’m up, okay? Jesus, it’s December, and cold.”

Levi arched an eyebrow. “And who the fuck told you to sleep naked? We’ve been over this. Now shit, shower, shave, whatever you need to do to get ready.”

Eren wriggled his eyebrows in return. “Should we shower together? Saves water.”

“No.”

Eren had the nerve to pout at the silver daggers that Levi was shooting him. “Okay, okay.” The brat raised his hands up in a surrender post. “You get ready first, and I will follow after you. I need a moment to wake myself up.”

Levi let out a loud sigh, but complied with the request nonetheless. He went through his morning routine briskly but thoroughly, emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair already slicked back with a touch of hair gel. He made his way to the closet to pull out a pair of black briefs and the second set of three-piece tailcoat suit that he had brought in addition to the set he had worn during the Christmas party. This set was almost identical to the other, save for the pearl waistcoat that was replaced with a black one. Hooking the hanger onto a peg that was pinned onto the closet door, he pulled his underwear up his legs from under his towel and adjusted himself that way before unwrapping the fluffy fabric from around his waist, all the while fully aware of the eyes that burned into his backside like searing flames.

“Oi, you should get ready too, shitty brat.” Levi remained as nonchalant as he could as he risked a glance at Eren, and he almost _shivered_ at the smoldering gaze that greeted him. Eren was sitting at the edge of the bed, leaned back on one hand to support his weight and phone in his other to indicate that he had previously been browsing on it. His legs were opened, unabashed of his semi-nudity and the obvious arousal straining against his underwear. Levi had expected them to make eye contact, but was soon washed over with a heated flush when he realized what Eren was intently focused on as he was bending over to pull on his socks: his ass. He suddenly found his suit very interesting as he felt his ears burn in embarrassment; Levi was never embarrassed, or at least, he _should not_ feel embarrassed. But here he was: embarrassed.

_Something must be wrong with me._

It was a moment before Eren replied, but it was not at all related to Levi’s remark.

“Your ass…is really nice.”

Levi pulled up his slacks hastily in one fell swoop, his ears about to fall off his head from the way they were burning up. He threw a glare over his shoulder, but the bathroom door was shutting behind Eren by the time he did. Levi heaved out a sigh and rested his forehead against the closed closet door.

_What am I doing?_

The answer to Eren’s bet was obvious. It should be. He knew what he was going to say, and he was going to stick to that plan.

Yes, he would stick to his answer.

That was final.

Final.

By the time Eren emerged from the bathroom, Levi had just finished tying off his cravat around his neck. Levi turned from the full-length mirror and was surprised to see Eren had already fixed his own hair. Although it was not slicked back like Levi usually would have done it, the strands that framed his face in its natural parting were tamed. It gave Eren a younger look compared to the slightly more mature one had his hair been slicked back.

Levi would never admit it out loud, but the brat did look good.

“Is it…okay?” Eren asked with a dusting of pink coating his cheeks. Leave it to Eren to openly comment on Levi’s ass then blush like a high schooler in front of his crush the next second. He reached his hand up to rub at the back of his head, a habit displaying his nerves, and Levi swatted it away with a scowl.

“Yes, it is, now don’t mess up your hair and put on your socks.”

Eren grinned, a grin that was too _Eren_ , and followed Levi’s instructions while the shorter man hooked his three-piece suit onto the peg on the closet door. The suit jacket and slacks remained black like the set Eren had worn during the Christmas party, however, the charcoal grey waistcoat was replaced with a white one, silk tie replaced with a black bow tie.

Throughout the entire process of helping Eren into his clothes, Levi felt the intensity of Eren’s stare boring into him, and he adamantly ignored it until the very end. As he finished his deft work of the bow tie, Levi took a step back and trailed his eyes from bottom to top, letting his narrowed eyes rest on the bow tie to especially scrutinize it for any minute detail out of place. When he deemed that the overall look had reached his standards, his eyes locked onto Eren’s to see mischief dancing in the teal orbs.

“Do I look good?”

A scoff and a scowl before Levi turned his back on Eren.

“We should head out, we don’t want _Mr. Yeager_ to be late.”

Eren just laughed loudly, a heartfelt one that made Levi’s heart flutter.

_Cheeky bastard._

— _Loyalty_ —

Unlike Levi, Eren actually had to socialize at the party.

Despite the chilly December air, most attendees of the New Year’s Eve party were gathered at the large balcony to the ballroom, including both Levi and Eren. This was probably because the party was in full swing, and by now, most had consumed enough alcohol to be halfway down the path to inebriation and needed the fresh air. Levi was standing at the edge of the crowd by the balcony railing, posture rigid and putting up a professional front like he always did when he was officially representing the Yeager family in public. Even from afar, he could tell that Eren had been constantly trying to avoid conversation with everyone, but to no avail, as this was only the second Yeager Inc. company gathering where he made an official appearance, and a majority of current and potential future business partners were immediately sucking up to him.

Eren had been reluctant to leave Levi’s side, probably because he knew this was going to happen and wanted Levi’s aid in making up excuses to evade work affairs. However, Levi felt that this was a good opportunity for Eren to receive exposure to the company that he was supposed to inherit — he almost wanted to smirk at the absolute desperation and betrayal on Eren’s face as he let the youth get dragged into a discussion of the market shares. Though Levi wanted Eren to mingle and have as much fun as possible, he made sure to keep an eye on the troublesome brat throughout the night: while he kept his distance, Eren remained in his sight.

“You seem lonely.”

A glare hardened silver eyes before they flitted upwards to meet icy blue ones. Looming at least a head over him was Erwin Smith. From the charcoal shirt underneath the matching suit jacket to the black waistcoat and tie, the blond giant looked every bit of the perfect, rich businessman appearance he put up for the public eye, the glass of champagne resting in one hand further adding effect to the appearance.

But Levi knew the truth and saw through the facade.

“That’s the whole point of wanting to be alone, you know, _Mr. Smith_ ,” Levi deadpanned in return with a mocking emphasis on addressing the other man, getting ready to move to another spot. He halted with a jolt of his body when Erwin moved to stand in front of him, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Move. We already talked last time. I don’t want to deal with your shit again.”

“Levi, my proposal from the Christmas party was genuine.” The tone Erwin used was soft, almost pitiful, and it only caused more Levi to be more vexed; he would slit his own neck before buying those words. “I need a right-hand man, and there is nobody more perfect than you to fulfill the position.”

“Should have said that years ago,” Levi sneered, granted that even back when there was something between he and Erwin, he knew he would not have quit his current job that his mother had entrusted him to fulfill. “I already have a job; I don’t need an offer from you of all people.”

“I miss you.”

Levi wanted to laugh. An empty laugh. A bitter laugh. A resentful laugh.

Levi, of all people.

Wanted to laugh.

“You miss me?” Levi echoed flatly. “Should have told me that years ago.”

“Look,” Erwin began then paused, heaving out a heavy sigh.

 _Good, let this stomp on his fucking pride, egotistical bastard,_ Levi thought with spite, knowing how difficult it was for the man before him to admit to his wrongs and how rare of an occurrence it was; it simply never happened.

“I am sorry,” Erwin continued, eyes filled with an intensity that in the past would have made Levi back down. However, Levi held the gaze now, leveling it, despite their massive difference in height.

“I don’t know what to say that will make you believe me, but I am genuinely, so sorry, about what had happened. I have said this before and I will say it again: I was young, I didn’t know any better, and I used you. For that, I am truly sorry. You are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, and I threw it all away, just because I had a taste of life and was greedy for more. Please believe me when I say that I regret it, because I miss you, Levi.”

Levi was silent for a moment, and he felt a crack he had desperately glued shut threatening to split open again. He refused. Swallowed down the painful lump in his throat and drew up the wall that had always protected him.

“Four years, Erwin. Four years.”

“I know.”

“You can’t just give a speech then expect me to come back to you.”

“I know.”

“Then stop,” Levi snapped. “Stop doing this, stop doing whatever you are trying to do. I left that part of my life in the past for a reason, so stop trying to salvage whatever you think is left, because there is nothing left. Wake up, Erwin, and stop. I am done with you.”

“Levi, please—”

For the first time in a long time, Levi became hyperaware of just how much his past could affect him. He felt true anger leaking into his collected composure, scarlet red staining the cerulean blue of calm he prided himself in upholding. He felt the pain that should have disappeared years ago spilling, overflowing his lungs and squeezing with a menacing hold, choking him. Despite the cold biting his skin, his body felt hot, heated, searing with the emotions that threatened to swallow him.

“Mr. Smith, it is good to see you again.”

Levi’s head jerked up to see none other than Eren standing there. He, as well, was nursing a glass of champagne in one hand, the other coming to rest against the small of Levi’s back, in a way that felt unexpectedly too natural for the shorter man; it was slightly unnerving.

“Eren, it is good to see you too,” Erwin greeted with a smile, and Levi wanted to snort at the subtle twitch of the blond’s massive eyebrows in annoyance at their conversation being interrupted once again by the Eren as it had been the last time. Levi would never say it aloud, but he was thankful that Eren had stepped in multiple times when Erwin had Levi backed into a corner. Was it a mere coincidence? Levi did not know, but could only be grateful for it.

The pair shook hands with firm grips, before Eren’s hand returned to the small of Levi’s back, a challenging glint in his eyes that the blond before him returned. “I hope you are enjoying yourself, Mr. Smith.” Eren matched his words with a grin that was far from friendly; it was anything but. “However, I must apologize. There are some matters that Levi and I must tend to and we shall take our leave. Please excuse us.”

With that, Eren steered Levi away without waiting for a response, Levi catching Erwin staring at them with irritation etched onto his expression before Levi lost the view of the blond man as he and Eren disappeared into the crowd. Levi found himself following Eren without knowing where the pair was heading to as he led them away from the balcony and back into the ballroom, Eren handing over his unfinished glass of champagne to a loitering waiter. Levi risked to steal a glance to see that the grin had dropped from Eren’s face, and what took its place was furrowed brows and pursed lips, an expression that was rare on Eren.

“Eren, where are we going?” Levi asked suspiciously when the brunet exited the ballroom and began walking down the long hallway that led to the elevators. Eren remained silent, however, not even sparing a glance backwards until they reached the elevators. He stopped, back turned towards Levi, before slowly turning around to face him. There was a smile, a small one, a nervous one, a smile that was too unlike Eren.

It hit Levi then.

It was the day of New Year’s Eve. The thirty-first of December. The last day of the year.

The day in which Levi would have to give Eren the answer to their bet.

“It’s almost midnight.” Eren’s voice came out soft. He had his hands dug into his pockets, but Levi could see the way the fabric moved in his fidgeting.

The answer to Eren’s bet was obvious. It should be. He knew what he was going to say, and he was going to stick to that plan.

Yes, he would stick to his answer.

That was final.

Final.

There was a cheeky grin that flashed Eren’s pearly white teeth as he sank them into his bottom lip, regardless of how obviously anxious he was. Levi almost wanted to smile at this in spite of himself. Eren had grown from an angry child to this happy-go-lucky man who wore his heart on his sleeve.

Levi knew his answer then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may already know this, for Kinktober 2017, I have participated with a one-shot called "Say it", and you can read it [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12580452). I hope you enjoy it and hope to hear from you.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think of it.
> 
> You can find me on these social media platforms  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/InxomniacWriter)  
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	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was worth the wait. Enjoy!

The elevator ride up to their room was silent.

There was no discomfort or unease in the silence, not the type that curled into your lungs and suffocated them. It was simply silence, the type that was laced with the soft meshes of awkwardness, because neither party knew what to say.

There was a lump in Levi’s throat that he found hard to swallow. No, it was not the painful kind that one would have when tears were about to burst through the dam. It was…nerves. It was the spike of adrenaline that made his heart beat faster and his blood rush wilder, loud in his ears, quaking against the surface of his skin, and for a split second he wondered if it was loud enough that Eren could hear it. Yet, he did not take the risk to look towards the other to confirm his queries.

_It would be embarrassing if he can hear it though._

The pair had not once made eye contact since stepping into the elevator. Both had their gazes trained onto the elevator doors intently, and were even keeping a distance from each other. Levi was unsure whether it was an odd sort of courtesy from his companion, or if Eren was in actuality feeling more awkward about this situation than he was leading on. But again, Levi dared not make a move since Eren was making none either.

Okay, Levi had to admit, maybe it was more than a _little_ awkward.

The elevator doors slid open with a bright chime, announcing the arrival to their floor. Both stayed rooted to their spot for a moment, neither wanting to make the first move and both wanting the other to lead the way. Eren then seemed to feel the obligation to move first — given the nature of who had suggested this entire ordeal in the first place — and began making his way towards their shared room with Levi in tow.

The entire process of Eren fumbling with the key card before managing to scan it and get the door opened felt like it took longer than it probably really did. Levi felt as if his chest was going to burst by the time they were stepping into the room. It felt like all the blood in his body suddenly surged towards his heart, the muscle squeezing tight and compressing into itself. There was a pressure shoved up against his ribcage, a tremble beneath the membrane of his lungs, a stutter in the rhythm that he found difficult to keep. Levi felt completely different from when he first agreed to the bet now that he had to confront the situation.

Levi was nervous.

Levi was never nervous.

The only visible light was from the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city skyline, vibrant with life and the celebrations of the eve of New Year’s. Levi found himself leaning against the door as soon as it closed behind him, silver eyes flitting up to meet emerald ones that seemed to shine brighter in the darkness, the ambers bleeding into the pupils appearing to glow.

Eren took a hesitant step forward, and another, and another. His movements faltered when he raised his hands from his sides, before he finally made up his mind and rested them on Levi’s hips. The simple gesture seared through his clothes, embedding into his skin as memory. A deep gulp. From who, from both, Levi was not sure. There was a hitch of his breath when Eren made circling motions with his thumbs gently, when Levi realized how close their faces were.

“Is this okay?” Eren murmured, voice soft and laced with an emotion that Levi was unable to decipher. The older man gave a nod, to which Eren smiled in return. “You never really told me your answer.”

A moment of silence passed. Levi did not know how to respond. He knew his answer; he just had to say it. Yet, somehow, he found it incredibly difficult to force the words past his clamped lips.

_Just say it, shove him off, and take a walk somewhere._

Levi opened his mouth, then closed it when there was a harsh clench of his heart at his own thoughts. The right answer was the correct one, yet the right answer was the one that would be false to his desires.

 _You get one chance, Levi,_ he thought. _You can make the right decision and say no right now and stop whatever it is that is starting to spark between the two of you._

“Levi?”

The echo of his name closed up his throat.

Deep down, he knew Eren had won the bet before it even began, but whether he was willing to admit it was another story. And Eren knew this. He knew that Eren knew this from the way the youth was gazing at him with that meaningful look in his eyes that was just so _Eren_.

“You know that you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s okay, Levi.”

“I _do_ want to,” Levi blurted out before Eren could say anything more, feeling his cheeks flame in embarrassment when Eren’s eyes widened in surprise. The corners of his lips then lifted into what was a small smile that turned into a full-blown grin that could melt anyone’s heart.

_Damn it. Sex is not supposed to be this sentimental._

Levi dropped his eyes and went to turn his face away, movements that were all incredibly out of his character; Levi was confident, unabashed, and never shy.

This was not him.

He felt fingers on his chin, however, keeping him in place. Grey orbs darted up to see that Eren had moved closer, their warm breaths mingling in a waltz.

“Then be mine tonight.”

That was all the words it took for Levi to lean up and connect his lips to Eren, eyelids fluttering shut.

This was wrong.

This was so wrong.

He _knew_ this was wrong.

Yet, _it felt so right_.

Levi could practically taste the shock on Eren’s lips that he had taken the initiative to make the first move. His heart tripped over its own beat, lungs faltered in a flutter, knees grew weak with a tremble. As if sensing this, Eren snaked his arms around Levi’s waist to hold him up, a knee coming in between his to knock his legs apart, surprise no longer evident in the way the taller man pressed his lips back against Levi’s with certainty. There was no hesitation from Levi either when he slid his hands up Eren’s lean back and gripped at his suit jacket. He could feel Eren’s solid muscles pressing against his torso despite the multiple layers keeping their bare skin from touching, and he let a soft moan slip out at the mere feeling. A swipe of tongue against his bottom lip, and Levi was parting his lips for Eren’s tongue to press against his own. Feather touches, hesitant, testing; crossing boundaries that neither had before.

_It began to burn._

The tips of Eren’s fingers seared prints onto Levi’s back, marks unique to him that only he could leave behind. The heat of his mouth staked claim on the smaller man; a brand. Levi felt fingers card through his hair gently before there was a light tug, drawing a groan from deep within his chest. Before he could register the hands coming to rest on the backs of his thighs, he was being hoisted up against the door. It was uncanny how natural it was for him to wrap his arms around Eren’s neck and his legs around Eren’s waist, the press of hips together drawing moans from both men, both men who were no aware of each other’s arousals. Levi tangled his fingers into mussed russet hair, tugging on it the way it had been done to him earlier and eliciting a low growl from Eren that wracked a shiver down his spine. He felt large hands giving his ass a squeeze in response, the kneading of the sensitive flesh coaxing another moan from his swelling lips.

The kiss broke with gasps from them, faces flushed pink and chests heaving lightly. Levi did not even realize that Eren had moved them to the bed until his back was hitting the mattress. He peered at Eren as the boy helped him take off his shoes and socks then removed his own, setting them down by the foot of the bed. All the while, Eren was watching Levi with an unreadable expression in his eyes, his movements slow and sensual when he went to kneel between Levi’s spread legs. The anticipation of what was to come felt like it had a physical presence to the room as Eren’s hands came up to cage Levi’s body, before he ducked his head and pressed a wet kiss to the junction between Levi’s neck and shoulder, harshly sucking a bruise onto the pale skin. Levi was reduced to a panting mess at the dominance that exuded from the younger male, moaning out loud at the teeth nibbling at his skin. He grinded his hips against Eren’s, bringing his thighs back around Eren’s waist to press their arousals together. It was almost scary how natural the action came to him, despite his last sexual encounters being years ago.

_Stupid brat and his stupid…everything._

There were kisses lining his jaw, fleeting and ticklish, then a playful lick along the shell of his ear. Eren pulled back for Levi to see devilish mischief glinting in teal orbs as he gave a particular hard thrust of his hips that enticed a loud moan from Levi.

_Shitty brat._

“Didn’t think you were into this kind of thing,” Eren breathed out, lust clouding his pupils.

Levi narrowed his eyes, silver blades flashing in the dimmed light before he leaned forward and bit Eren’s earlobe harshly.

“Into what? Sex?” Levi taunted lowly against Eren’s ear, feeling the boy quake against him.

“No. This.”

In one swift motion, Eren had Levi’s wrists pinned above his head. His irises glowed amber as he raked a hungry gaze down the body beneath him. Levi’s entire being _burned_ with need, heat scorching across the planes of his skin and churning down to the marrow of his bones. He faintly heard a gasp squeezed out of his throat when Eren pressed a wet mouth against it, teeth digging into his flesh and tongue hot against his skin. He shuddered at the thought of marks being left behind for the world to see. Levi would normally be irritated at it, annoyed that something so embarrassing was marring his skin. But in that moment, he _wanted_ Eren to stain his skin, _needed_ Eren to mark him up and show the world who he belonged to that night.

“Yell out “red” if you need me to stop anytime, okay?” Eren murmured against skin. Levi almost wanted to cry at how considerate the dumb bastard could be even in the heat of the moment, and he nodded in response.

Another hard grind into his hips had Levi groaning with need. Eren was undulating his hips as he deftly untied Levi’s cravat. Levi felt a streak of desperation of _need_ in that moment, so strong that it scorched his entire being.

_He needed Eren’s clothes off._

Levi sought out Eren’s mouth to lock their lips in a frenzied kiss. As if the heat in the atmosphere amplified tenfold, both of their hands began pawing at each other urgently and tearing off garments haphazardly. The clothes were strewn onto the floor one after the other, neither — even Levi, the usual clean freak — caring where they went, as long as the two men were pressed together with nothing in between, bare. Their lips pulled apart briefly only for Eren to ravish Levi’s mouth again with feverish impetuosity after barely a breath, hands roughly yanking off the other’s boxer briefs. The moment it fell away, he pulled away again, leaning back on his legs to admire the way his lover was spread out before him.

There was a hungry glint in Eren’s eyes, the eyes of a predator that wanted to take his time enjoying his prey. A gulp slid down Levi’s throat, body shifting at the way he was being stared at, almost as if Eren was sizing him up. A deep flush had managed to envelop most of Levi’s pale skin when Eren rested his gaze upon his arousal, his fingers curling in the sheets in anticipation.

“Like what you see?” Levi rasped, voice layered with the husky tones of lust. His attempt at confidence to overshadow his bashfulness was working as Eren had the decency to blush. “Take off your underwear and stop teasing, shitty brat.”

At the name, Eren growled with feral animosity that Levi found — embarrassingly — incredibly exciting and endearing. In a heartbeat, Eren had jerked off the last piece of his clothing and was leaning down to trail wet nips down the creamy planes of skin presented to him. Levi only got a glimpse of a thick cock bobbing between tanned, muscular thighs before Eren’s head was in his line of sight, teeth clamping down onto a nipple. There was a surprised yelp from Levi, a lewd moan when Eren’s wet tongue rolled the pebbled flesh. Large hands were roaming Levi’s body _everywhere_. He could feel them on his sides and around his hips and down his legs, singeing his skin and clouding his mind with euphoric gratification that was definitely not from the champagne.

“You like having your nipples played with, hm?” Eren murmured as he shifted his ministrations to the other side of Levi’s chest, biting down onto the rosy bud gently enough that the pain was not unbearable, but hard enough for it to sting with pleasure.

“Shut up, Yeager,” Levi gritted out between his teeth, trying to hold back the sounds escaping from him that were just downright _embarrassing_.

And Eren knew that he was holding back, for the younger seemed determined to draw them right back out, and it all seemed so characteristically _Eren_ to _have_ to know that he was succeeding, and in this case, succeeding in pleasuring his partner.

Silver eyes were intent as they watched Eren display a wicked grin before the youth was moving further down his body. Levi’s breath caught in his throat when Eren pressed a lingering kiss against the wet cap of his cock, a bead of pre-cum bubbling at the slit and sliding down the stiff length at the attention. The younger man flattened his tongue against the base of the shaft and slowly, tortuously, ran it from root to tip to chase after the droplet. Levi could barely squeeze a gasp out of his throat before Eren was sucking the head into his mouth.

_Where in the fuck did he learn all this?_

At that thought, Levi was not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Levi curled his fingers into russet locks, tightening when a particularly hard swallow constricts around his cock. He could feel how _wet_ and how _warm_ Eren’s mouth was, tongue skillfully massaging his length. Levi’s lips parted, litanies of moans and curses and “Eren” spilling past at the immense amount of pleasure his body was currently submerged in. Hips arched off the bed when Eren reached up to flick thumbs against Levi’s pink teats; a gasp then a keen.

“Eren, I’m going to—”

A fist held fast around the base of his shaft. Levi hissed at that, both in hostility at Eren but also in pleasure at being brought so close to the edge only to stop short just as he was about to be tipped over. Soft lips pressed against his and he moaned into the touch, arms snaking Eren’s torso to dig fingers into sculpted back muscles, legs hooking around Eren’s hips like they belonged there.

Levi was so distracted by the kiss that he did not even notice the clicking of the lube bottle and the press of wet, cold fingers against his entrance. Hell, or even _when_ Eren had gotten the bottle of lubricant.

There was a gasp when the first digit breached him, pressing against the ring of muscles before slowly pushing in, gentle and testing. Levi pressed his face against the crook of Eren’s neck as his cheeks flamed, his hands clutching onto Eren even harder.

“You alright?” Eren murmured. He wrapped his free arm around Levi’s waist and paused in wriggling his finger, waiting for the “okay” from Levi.

“Just fine,” Levi muttered, nose pressing against Eren’s skin to breathe in the musky scent that he could practically frolic in. “Just haven’t…done this in a while.”

“You don’t masturbate?” Eren teased lightly and resumed his movements, gradually beginning to thrust his finger in and out.

“I do,” Levi snapped, head lifting a little to give Eren a well-earned glare, to which the youth defected with a heart-melting, innocent grin — though he was _far_ from innocent. “It’s just…different when someone else does it.”

Eren hummed in response and trailed the fingertips of his other hand down Levi’s spine. “Does it feel better?”

A second finger pressed in with the first one, and Levi hissed at the slight burn of discomfort. Eren once again paused to let Levi adjust for a moment before carrying on, going slow enough that Levi could feel each drag of his digits against his walls, and he hated admitting that simply _that_ felt _really, really good_.

“So is it better?” Eren prompted when Levi didn’t respond, only stayed curled against Eren’s chest and panted against Eren’s neck.

“Maybe,” Levi grumbled and peeked up to see Eren smiling stupidly at him, like he was something _endearing_ to look at.

A kiss pressed to the crown of his hair. “You’re adorable.”

“Am not,” Levi immediately responded, but any other reprimands that he had planned to spew at Eren were taken right out of his mouth when his vision flashed white in pleasure. His breath stuttered in his lungs at the press to the bundle of nerves that sent pleasure shooting up his back, fingernails digging into Eren’s flesh hard enough to leave behind marks.

“Hm, so here?” Eren mused and rubbed his fingers against Levi’s prostate, drawing an uncharacteristic whine from Levi. This continued on until Levi was an absolute panting mess, writhing in Eren’s arms, bucking his hips, moaning like he was made to do so.

“S-Stop,” Levi stammered, pushing at Eren’s chest. “W-Want you. Want you now. Don’t…don’t want to cum yet.”

“You don’t want more prep?” Eren asked, and the concern in his voice just seemed to make Levi even more impatient.

“I’m fine,” Levi bit out.

Eren pulled out his fingers with a slick sound, and sat back on his knees. The way he stared at Levi made the man flush from the tips of his ears down to the tips of his toes. Eren looked at him like he was _precious_.

“What are you staring at?” Levi rasped, resisting the urge to cover up his body. He was confident of his body, definitely — he worked hard to build the muscle mass he had, after all — but the hungry glint gleaming in Eren’s eyes made him feel like _he was about to be eaten up_.

 _Maybe that’s what’s about to happen,_ Levi thought, and somehow, he had no qualms about that. Or, more like, his horny self was _revelling_ in the idea of that.

Eren let out an appreciative sound that sounded suspiciously alike a purr. “You’re beautiful, you know,” he murmured against Levi’s ear and gives it a lick.

“Shut up,” Levi muttered but gave Eren an affectionate nip on the jaw. He glanced down to finally take a look at Eren’s package, and he licked his lips at the stiff length standing proudly. “Hm, not bad.”

It was Eren’s turn to flush.

It was almost comical the way he went from suave and sultry to a blushing mess, eyes dropping slightly as his cheeks darkened. Levi smirked at that. He took the lube bottle and squeezed a generous amount onto his hand — he would damn well make sure a cock that big gets lubed up properly before going anywhere _near_ him — before wrapping it around Eren’s cock that was smearing pre-cum against his thigh. Eren hissed at that. Out of the corner of his eye, Levi saw Eren’s fingers curl into the sheets, giving him a boost in confidence that he was the one drawing out these reactions from Eren. He gave a few slow pumps that Eren moaned at and thrusted his hips along with, until Levi tightened his hold around the base of the shaft firmly and stopped his ministrations. Using his free hand, Levi gripped the back of Eren’s neck and tugged him down.

“Fuck me,” Levi whispered, lips pressed against ear, breath fanning against skin. “I want you in me.”

Eren’s eyes sharpened. Wordlessly, he pressed Levi into the mattress, who released the cock in his hand and smeared the excess lube on the sheets, for once not caring about such matters. Levi could feel the smooth head of the Eren’s cock rubbing against his hole teasingly, and he undulated his hips to urge Eren closer.

It was a slow process.

The way Eren pushed in was slow and gentle. Levi could feel himself stretching to accommodate the thick length, warm breaths fanning his chest as Eren rested his forehead against it. His fingers curled into the sheets, but kept his legs around Eren’s waist. The youth stopped when he bottomed out, giving Levi the moment to adjust.

“I’m fine,” Levi murmured.

“You sure?” Eren peered up. He leaned backwards to grip onto Levi’s thighs, showing off his glistening muscles under the dimmed lights that had Levi licking his lips.

Levi smirked at this, a soft puff of rare playfulness leaving his nose. “Fuck me rough.”

Eren’s eyes widened before he had a smirk of his own that mirrored Levi’s. He pulled his hips back and thrusted back in before beginning a steady rhythm that had Levi writhing and moaning aloud. Soon, he was overwhelmed by multiple sensations. The wet suckles that were trailing down his neck to chest. The fingers that were digging into his hips. The slaps of flesh meeting his ass. He savoured all of it, the lust in the air so prominent he could taste on the tip of his tongue. The slowing of Eren’s hips had him whining in need, but feeling of the drags against his walls had groans leaving his lips. He watched Eren. Watched the brows furrow in concentration, the pants and moans leave his mouth, the slow gyrates that caused the muscles beneath sun-kissed skin to shift. He lifted his eyes to see that the youth was staring right back at him, and he must like what he was seeing, for he tightened his hold on Levi and gritted his teeth.

“Tired already?” Levi goaded, and Eren gave him a warning rumble of his throat. “Thought you would have more stamina than this.”

Eren stopped, balls deep in Levi’s ass. With a squelching sound, he was pulling out and flipping Levi onto his stomach, hands lifting his hips into the air. Heat blossomed across his skin at the hands pulling his cheeks apart, at the gaze that settled onto his no doubt slick hole.

“You talk big when you’re all opened up like this,” Eren snarked right back, leaning forward to give a lick to Levi’s tailbone that had the man trembling. Without warning, he thrusted his cock back into the wet warmth with a low groan, Levi keening.

There was a harsh nip on Levi’s ear. “I am far from done with you,” Eren whispered. He pulled out his cock only to slam his hips back home roughly, and began thrusting in earnest.

“Fuck, Eren, fuck me,” Levi gasped. Whatever left his lips started blurring into an incoherent mess, muddling further when he felt hands kneading into the sensitive muscles of his back. Sweat was trickling down his forehead, his spine was arching, fingers gripping onto the sheets until his knuckles turned white. He let out a loud shout when Eren struck his prostate, and he could almost see the smug smirk the youth was wearing as he began his assault on the bundle of nerves.

“Shit, Eren,” Levi moaned, pressing the side of his face against the mattress. “G-Gonna cum. Keep going.”

Levi growled, indignant, when he felt fingers closing in around the base of his cock. He turned his head to glower at Eren, only to be met with the most untamed expression he had ever seen. Eren’s hair was dishevelled, unruly, sweat glistening on his body in rivulets. While there was a determined furrow of his eyebrows, there was a small grin playing at his lips.

“I kind of had a hunch that you like to beg for it,” Eren panted, hips slowing down only a margin for him to speak.

Levi’s cheeks flamed. Eren was spot on, but he would be _damned_ if he actually did it. “Eren,” Levi snarled, only for it to end in a yelp at a particular hard thrust to his prostate.

“Levi,” Eren mocked, hips gyrating for a moment to grind into the spot that had his lover arching his back further and crying into the sheets. “Come on, baby, be good for me.”

If possible, Levi flushed even more at the pet name, and he reminded himself that he could always reprimand Eren for it later. “Let me…let me cum,” Levi panted, throwing all pride and dignity out the window. “P-Please…let me cum.”

Eren leaned forward, body enveloping the one beneath him as he let go of Levi’s cock to place both hands on muscular hips. With his breath hot against his lover’s ear, he began picking up his pace again. The sound of moans and groans in the room increased. Levi felt as if his skin was burning, his stomach churning with heat. He let out a loud cry as pleasure overtook his body, reaching his peak and releasing onto the sheets untouched. Soon after, he shuddered at the sound of Eren moaning his name and the warmth coating his insides, almost pushing him into another climax. The pair stayed in that position for a moment, panting in the exertion, until Eren pulled out with a slick sound and collapsed beside him. They basked in the afterglow as Eren wrapped up Levi in his arms, his breaths evening out in slumber. Levi, however, laid awake, pensive, staring up at the ceiling.

For reasons unknown to him, or for reasons he was unwilling to admit, Levi did not want this to just be a bet.

So, he pretended.

Levi pressed his face into Eren’s chest with closed eyes, and he pretended that this was not a bet, and this was a genuine night where Eren held him like he was the most precious thing to ever exist in the entire world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think of it!
> 
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